The Wrong Idea
by pleasedonttouchmyhair
Summary: Due to a misunderstanding, Adrien gets the impression that Marinette is in love with Chat Noir, and can't resist teasing her about it. MariChat, but I will probably throw in some other pairs depending on where I decide to go with this.
1. 1

**Alright, kids, this is my first fanfic ever, so go easy on me, alright? Just kidding, hit me with your best shot. I handle criticism like a pro (sorta kinda maybe). Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or the characters, and probably never will, unfortunately.**

Marinette didn't know what it was about Adrien--except that she did, and it was everything. His hair, his eyes, his sun-kissed skin, his soft voice, his kindness, just everything. She stared at the back of his golden head, tracing circles on her desktop absent-mindedly. She wished, not for the first time, that he would turn towards her, if only for a moment, so she could gaze into his meadow eyes and admire his presumably-soft lips. She could vivdly picture him turning his head and propping his elbow up on the back of his chair to see her better, and she sighed in utter contentment at the sight.

It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she wasn't just picturing it. "Right, Marinette?"

 _Huh?_ She tore her gaze away from the blond, noticing for the first time that he, Alya, and Nino were all staring at her, awaiting an answer. Not knowing what else to do, she nodded dumbly. "Uh, right!"

Adrien grinned at Nino cheekily. "See? Even Marinette thinks so."

Nino scoffed, raising an eyebrow at her. "C'mon, Mari. You and I both know that they're not a couple. There's no way!"

Marinette blinked, but before she could ask what they were talking about, Alya snorted. "Jealous, Nino? Didn't know you were into the bug."

Nino glared at her. "I'm not. I've seen them together, dude, and they don't act like a couple."

"Well, I've seen them together, too, and I think they do!"

Marinette, having realized that the topic of discussion was, in fact, herself, opted out of joining in. She'd been down this road before, and what did it matter if people liked to, in Alya's words, "ship" them together? She buried her face in her sketch book, drawing out an idea that'd come to her earlier in class. She giggled as her pencil flew about the page, the delicate markings coming together to form a coffee-inspired outfit. _Imagine an akumatized barista, bent on turning everyone into her personal baristas so they could serve her coffee for once!_ She giggled again, erasing the hair in favor of a whipped cream-like updo.

"Uh, _hello?_ "

"Gah, what?" Marinette shrieked, leaning back as Alya waved her hand in the poor girl's face.

"I've been saying your name for, like, forever, girl. Focus!" Alya pulled the sketchbook out of her hand, placing it face-down on the table. "Now, would you kindly tell Nino that Ladybug definitely likes Chat Noir back?"

Marinette snorted, thinking of her goofy partner. "Yeah, like that could ever happen."

"What?!" Alya demanded, as Nino just snickered.

Adrien, meanwhile, looked offended for whatever reason. "What makes you so sure she doesn't love him back?"

Marinette looked at Adrien, her face tinging pink slightly, but she refused to back down. Over the past year, she'd almost gotten used to the boy, aside from when he managed to catch her off guard. She would almost go as far as to say they were friends. "Don't get me wrong, Chat Noir is great, but he's not boyfriend material. He's too flirty, and doesn't take anything seriously. Their relationship is purely platonic."

Adrien frowned, but Alya said, "That's where you're wrong, girl! His carefree nature compliments her uptight personality. They're perfect together!"

Marinette frowned. "'Uptight'?"

"Nuh-uh, no way," said Nino, taking off his cap and laying it on his desk. "Ladybug would totally kill his vibe, dude. I think they're better apart."

"Woah, wait. You guys really think about Chat Noir like that?" Adrien asked, frowning. "He can be serious."

The three of them looked at him. "When has he ever?" Alya asked for them.

Adrien grasped his chin, and Marinette watched as his mouth opened to speak, but then closed again. This happened several times, and after a minute, he began to remind Marinette of a fish. But, like, a really handsome fish. With great hair. After a while, it became apparent to the rest of them that he wasn't going to be able to come up with anything. Finally, Adrien shrugged. In truth, he could've thought of several Ladybug-related situations in which he had acted positively pensive, but of course, Adrien wasn't supposed to know about that.

Marinette felt bad suddenly, and she relented. After all, her kitty could be serious on occasion, and he was a good partner, even if he was a goof ball. "Fine. I suppose, _maybe_ , under different circumstances, if they'd met as their human selves, things might've turned out differently." Her heart skipped a beat as Adrien perked up, grinning at her. "But that doesn't mean they're _ever_ going to get together in this reality. Now can we please drop it?"

"Nuh-uh, no way, girl. How come you're so sure they'll never be together?" She smirked at her best friend, wiggling her eyebrows. "Maybe YOU'RE the one who's jealous! Finally starting to see what I was talking about, huh?"

Adrien raised an interested eyebrow at this, but Marinette waved her question away. "Of course not, Alya. Besides..." Her eyes drifted to Adrien and she blushed as she realized he was looking right at her. He had something in his eyes she couldn't quite identify, but whatever it was, she liked it.

He smirked at her, his inner Chat showing through. "Got a thing for the cat, eh?"

Marinette squeaked, which Adrien misinterpreted as a "yes." She shook her head, quite insistent that he know that she didn't. "Of c-course not. I really--Alya, help?"

The brunette giggled, shaking her head. "Nope, you're on your own for this one."

Marinette groaned, turning her attention back to the golden-haired boy. "I do not have a 'thing' for Chat Noir. Didn't I _just_ say he wasn't boyfriend material?"

"Still," said Adrien with a cocky smirk that wasn't as foreign to his face as it appeared, "I bet you like him."

Marinette gawked at him, flustered. She wasn't sure how to feel about how happy Adrien seemed to be that she allegedly liked Chat Noir, but at the current moment, all she could concern herself with was how utterly hot he looked. "I-I-I mean, I d-don't--er, what I'm saying is--"

"Okay, okay," Alya finally stepped in, coming to her friend's aid. "We should probably get to work, you guys. Class is almost over, and we've gotten next to nothing done."

Nino and Marinette whole-heartedly agreed, but Adrien's mind was elsewhere as he faced his desk again, clicking his tongue. Unbeknownst to the girl behind him, Chat Noir had just scheduled a visit at the Dupain-Chengs' bakery.

 **So there it is. I know it's super short, which is because I'm not sure if I want to roll with this or not, but if I get some good reviews, the rest of my chapters will probably be much longer. Don't forget to review, and don't expect me to update right away, because I'm busy. ****Ciao**.


	2. 2

**It is I, Ladybug trash. It's official. I have a badge.**

 **You guys aren't that great at dishing out insults. Like, they almost sounded like compliments? You should work on that.**

 **All jokes aside, I'm glad this is going so well. I've actually wanted to do this for a while, but I never really had the confidence/time before. So this is pretty clawesome, as Chat would say. Anyway, as promised...**

If there was one thing Adrien liked about being Chat Noir--aside from seeing his lady of course--it was the total anonymity that came with the job. Though he'd never admit it to Ladybug, Adrien abused his power _a lot_. He used it to duck his body guard on a daily basis, avoid paparazzi, and sometimes just to get away from it all. In fact, he recalled, once he transformed for no reason other than to walk the streets as Chat Noir, just because he was curious what would happen.

But alas, curiosity killed the cat, and, in lieu of the usual fangirls, he found himself battling off reporters and the media. Needless to say, experiment failed.

Still, though, there was a certain thrill to being incognito that Adrien would've never experienced otherwise. All his life, everyone knew his name, who he was, and where he lived, in addition to his favorite kind of ice cream (someone asked him in an interview once, and they published it. Consequently, he no longer liked cookie dough ice cream). Admittedly, Chat still battled with the media quite a bit, but lucky for him, most of the spotlight landed on Ladybug, so he was pretty much free to do whatever he pleased.

He felt this freedom as he sprung from rooftop to rooftop, basking in the light of the full moon. It was a gorgeous night, and fortunately for him, his lady was taking patrol, giving him time to visit his princess. He landed on the roof of the familiar bakery with grace, his feet padding almost silently against the balcony floor. He chortled as he put his staff away, cracking his knuckles before crouching down and peering through the glass trap door, but the lights seemed to be off inside. He tapped on the glass with a gloved fist, gently at first, but it appeared his princess wasn't home. He stood back up, stretching his arms above his head. _Darn_ , he thought, _that could have been fun._

"Chat?"

He jumped, whipping around to see none other than his lady, in the spots. She had her hands on her hips, her gaze curious, yet stern. The black-clad hero straightened up, laughing nervously. "Oh, Ladybug... Hi."

She scrutinized him with cobalt eyes, brows pinching together suspiciously. "What were you doing looking into the Dupain-Cheng bakery?" she asked in an accusing tone.

His fluorescent eyes blinked, and he pointed to his chest meekly. "Me?"

"Do you see any other black cats around here?"

He scratched behind an ear, wracking his brain for an excuse. "I just... What are _you_ doing up here, Ladybug?"

She flinched, but relaxed, knowing he couldn't possibly have found her out. He was just stalling. She tapped her foot, patience wearing thin. "Out with it, kitty. What were you doing looking into Marinette's room?"

"I just, uh, wanted to check up on her. I like to visit her occasionally." Chat smiled at the lie. Gaining confidence, he grinned at the spotted girl, stepping closer to her. "Jealous, my lady?"

Ladybug, of course, recognized that Chat was lying through his teeth; he'd never visited her, aside from the time with Evillustrator--at least, not that she knew of. But without evidence to call him out on this lie, she knew she had no choice but to accept it. She rolled her eyes at his advance. "Either way, she doesn't appear to be home, so I don't believe you have any business here."

"My lady, no need to be so harsh." He cocked his head, fixing her with a smolder as he backed away to excuse himself. "She may be my purrincess, but you'll always be my lady."

Ladybug couldn't help a smile at that, but she shooed him away, saying, "Run along, chaton. I'd better not catch you peeping into any windows again!"

"As you wish, milady." The cat boy bowed before disappearing into the night.

Ladybug stood on the balcony a moment longer, still wondering why Chat was looking into her room, but after a moment, she dismissed the thought, too tired to question it. If it was anyone else, she would've dwelled on it much longer, but knowing her silly kitty, there was probably a reasonable explanation. She popped open the trap door, forgetting all about Chat the instant her head hit the pillow, Tikki resting at her side as she drifted into sleep.

\--

Adrien stepped out of the vehicle, climbing the steps toward his school. He spotted Nino leaning against the collège waiting for him, as was their daily ritual, and called out to him as he approached.

Nino looked up from his phone, grinning as he pulled his headphones down to rest around his neck. "Hey, Adrien!"

"Hey, Nino. Whatcha listening to?"

"The usual. Come on, I have to grab something out of my locker."

Adrien started to follow, but stopped as he heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned to find the source. "Wait." A sly grin spread over Adrien's face as a certain girl with pigtails walked up, Alya by her side. He turned to Nino, who gave him a questioning look. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up."

"Uh, alright." Nino lingered a moment longer, glancing between the blond and Marinette before finally shaking his head and retreating into the school.

On a normal day, Adrien was an apprehensive creature, so used to disappointment that he came to expect it. But knowing Marinette had a crush on his livelier self had boosted his ego quite a bit, which, in turn, had lowered his inhibitions about the shy girl. He had always suspected she still held a grudge against him for the gum incident, so he tried to bother her as little as possible most days.

But he couldn't resist.

If he was being honest with himself, he was overjoyed with Marinette's approval of his alter ego; after all, Marinette reminded him of his lady at times, and if she was impressed, maybe Ladybug would be, too!

Mostly, though, he just wanted to mess with her.

"Hey, Meow-inette," he said as they drew closer, a Cheshire grin lighting up his features.

Marinette smiled at him with pink cheeks, but looked confused. "Uh, h-hey, Adrien. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing... But enough about me. How you _feline_ today?" he asked, falling into stride with the two girls as they entered the school. Alya, meanwhile, was holding in her laughter, her face turning a deep shade of red from the effort.

Marinette paused, putting her face in her hands as she groaned. "I don't have a crush on him!" she insisted.

Alya burst out laughing, clutching her sides as Adrien grinned. "Sure you don't, chaton." He bounced ahead of the two, walking backward to keep his gaze on his princess, whose face had turned scarlet. "After all, I'm just _kitten_ around."

The blond saluted her, giving her a wink before swiveling around and marching off in the direction of Nino's locker. As soon as he was out of sight, Marinette rounded on her giggling friend, blushing furiously. "Fix it!" she demanded.

Alya forced her laughter down, wiping a tear from her eye. "Girl, you sure you want me to do that? This is the most attention you've _ever_ gotten from Adrien."

"Yeah, well, I don't want _this_ kind of attention!" Marinette groaned again, tugging on her pigtails in frustration. She already got enough from Chat Noir, but now the love of her life was spewing puns? "Gah!"

"Calm down, Marinette," said Alya as she finally sobered up. She grabbed the girl by the shoulders to look her in the eyes.

"No, you don't get it, Alya!" Marinette whined. "Why now? Why is he so happy thinking I like Chat? Does this mean he really doesn't like me, so he's trying to pin me on Chat Noir?"

Alya shook her head. "Marinette, I'm sure there's an explanation."

"It's no use!" Marinette lamented, her expression one of horror. "Adrien will never love me now that he thinks I like that mangy alley cat! Without Adrien, I really _will_ have to marry Chat Noir, and then all our children will be cats, and in ten years when Adrien and I reunite, he'll see all my cat babies and--"

"Get a grip, girl!" Alya steadied her friend, amused. "You don't have to marry Chat if you don't want to. You know what? If it comes down to it, I'll marry you."

Marinette giggled tentatively. "Unless you marry Nino."

Alya scrunched her face up. "He wishes." She grinned at her friend, leading her up the stairs by her arm. "Come on, let's get to class."

\--

Bella was just about _done_ with her sister.

Her mother was gone again, her stepfather at work, so of course the little monster was left to the care of her older sister, who apparently had nothing better to do, in the eyes of their mother. Maybe it would have pissed her off less if she didn't have to watch her sister _directly_ after getting home from school, leaving her no time to talk to her friends, or even say goodbye to them.

She supposed with most things, the kid was pretty easy to care for, since all she did was play on her tablet and watch T.V. That was what annoyed her the most, though--when Bella was her sister's age, she didn't have anything but her imagination most days, since the electronics they _did_ have were constantly occupied by her older siblings, all of which were out of the house by now. And yet her sister, Lilith, always seemed convinced she was somehow underprivileged.

Bella sat on the couch, curled up with a notebook, scribbling in it relentlessly. She wrote of beautiful women and handsome men, whose lives were far more interesting than hers, distant lands, and dark creatures. She wrote of a girl, not much older than she, with a waterfall of golden curls, solemn blue eyes, and a face dotted with freckles. She wrote of--

"BELLA CAN YOU FIX THE WIFI?!" Lilith wailed from the other room.

Her pencil snapped in half. "NO."

"PLEASE?!" Was she... crying?

"NO!"

" _PLEASE?!_ "

Bella stood up, throwing her now-useless pencil aside and marching into her stepdad's office with her notebook in hand, seething with rage. "WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT."

"The internet's not working," the small blonde whined.

"Then do something else," Bella said through gritted teeth.

The child instantly burst into tears, throwing her tablet down in anger. Bella stood shakily in the doorway, glaring down at the girl as she tried not to lose her temper and throw the stupid tablet through the wall. Lilith showed no signs of stopping, though, and after a moment, Bella was pushed over the edge. "THAT'S IT--"

But she never got to finish the thought. In that moment, a little purple butterfly happened to land on her notebook, and she heard the voice of true evil whisper in her ear.

She could do anything she wanted.

She could leave.

All she had to do was catch a bug and a cat.

 **I feel kinda bad for Nino. He doesn't get much attention in this fandom, which sucks because I identify with him so much, and I feel like he's glossed over a lot. Plus I want him to ninja turtle, hard core. Alya, too. Why is it that Chloe gets so many redemption stories, and yet I never see any about Alya or Nino? Ugh.** **Anyway, I know that for a MariChat fic, there hasn't been a whole lot of our two favorite dorks. But trust me, I've already started writing the next chapter, and it's _all_ MariChat. All of it. Literally the whole thing. So keep your pants on (or not. I'm not one to judge). Adieu!**


	3. 3

**So I rewatched the first season like the trash I am, and just realized Nino takes his hat off in one of the episodes! Like, WHAT??? CARTOON CHARACTERS CAN DO THAT?!**

 **Aaaanyway, here's some dork-on-dork action, courtesy of me, your local asshole. Enjoy.**

Marinette collapsed into her swivel chair as soon as she entered her room, sighing dramatically. "What a day."

Tikki appeared in front of her, looking at her chosen with sympathy. "Tomorrow will be better, Marinette."

On top of Adrien teasing her about Chat, Marinette had to suffer through three tests, turn in two projects, plus present them, and now that she was home, she had a stack of homework to do as tall as the Eiffel Tower (she should know). To top it all off, finals were in two weeks! Marinette groaned, wondering how she could ever deal with all that _and_ save the world whenever an Akuma happened to come along.

"Marinette!"

She sat up, gesturing for Tikki to hide as her mother popped her head through the trap door. Sabine smiled kindly at her daughter, sensing her foul mood. "Are you alright?"

Marinette nodded her head tiredly. "Yeah, just a long day, Maman."

"I know what will cheer you up. Your father made macarons!"

Marinette shook her head, smiling politely. "No thank you. I'm not really in the mood for macarons, Maman, but thanks."

Sabine frowned at this, genuinely concerned. "Not in the mood for macarons? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," said the heroine, wishing her mother would leave her alone.

The older woman frowned at her child a bit longer before closing the trap door without another word, and Tikki reappeared from behind the computer screen. "Come on, Marinette, let's get to work. That stack of homework isn't going to do itself."

Marinette groaned mournfully, opening her bag and reaching for her tablet. She nodded determinedly and picked up her stylus, but before she could write a single word, she was interrupted as her mother called for her again. Marinette's head fell against the table in frustration as Tikki patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Better go see what she wants," the sprite advised.

Letting out what must've been her hundreth groan that day, Marinette dragged herself down to the living room, where she saw her parents waiting with expectant smiles. "We know you're having a rough day, so your father and I decided to give you this a bit early," said Sabine, holding out a small box.

The raven-haired girl took the box from her mother, a questioning look on her face as she opened it, revealing a pair of blush pink, dangly earrings in the shape of tear drops, which sparkled in the light. Marinette gasped as she gazed at them, immediately wondering how her parents could afford such an extravagant gift. "Oh, Maman, they're beautiful!"

Tom and Sabine smiled, exchanging a knowing glance. "They were your grandmother's," Tom explained. "Since she had no daughters, she gave them to me. And, well, pink isn't really my color." His eyes sparkled as he looked down at his little girl. "We were going to give you them for your birthday, but..."

"Go on, try them on, Marinette!" urged Sabine with a grin.

Marinette hesitated. She hadn't taken out her round, black earrings, which were the source of her powers, since she got them, but... She looked up at her parents' hopeful expressions. _Well, it couldn't hurt if I take them out for a few minutes, could it?_ She removed her earrings, handing them to her mother while she put in the new ones. "How do I look?" she asked, smiling.

"Beautiful, my dear. Go look in the mirror!"

Marinette hurried off to the bathroom to admire her new jewelry, hearing Tom turn on the T.V. in the living room behind her. She delighted in the way they complimented her outfit and sparkled in the bathroom light. Plus, they were pink! Marinette giggled, returning to the living room, where her father sat, watching the T.V. with a grim expression. She soon found out why.

"--Ladybug has yet to show up, but Chat Noir is already at the scene, doing his best to slow down our latest villain, who our sources say is called the Scribbler."

Marinette watched in horror as a figure in a white cloak danced across the screen, clutching a purple notebook and pen. She wrote as she walked, immersed in a crowd of people who Marinette didn't recognize. Marinette did a double take as she realized that the cloaked figure was actually _creating_ the people around her, writing descriptions in her notebook that came to life with her words.

Chat Noir appeared suddenly, diving into the crowd of people with his staff in hand. Judging by his fearful expression, he seemed to regret this instantly as, without barely having made a dent in the Scribbler's defences, he was picked up by a giant of a man and hurled into the side of a building. Marinette winced as Chat fell limp on the sidewalk. He did not get back up.

"They're coming this way," said Tom. He looked to his daughter. "Marinette, go hide in your room."

She obliged without resistance, making her way to the attic and then onto her balcony. She could see the Scribbler, just a few blocks away, slowly making her way toward the bakery, her growing army creating a wall around her. She realized with a start that the creations were not mindless soldiers like she had seen so many other Akumas create, but actual individual people, each with their own unique appearances. Maybe that meant they could be reasoned with.

With Chat down for the count, Marinette knew she had to do something. "We have to get over there to help him. Tikki, spots on!"

And nothing happened.

 _My earrings!_ the heroine remembered suddenly, cursing her own stupidity. She hurried back inside, stumbling down the stairs to the living room, where her mother and father stood in front of the T.V. Their worried expressions made them appear older than she normally thought they did. She went to stand next to them, watching the screen as a new character appeared, a tall Asian woman with a bow and quiver full of arrows with blood-red fletchings. Marinette wondered what her purpose was, but before she could find out, she was startled by her father's gasp.

She glanced at him to see what was wrong, but Tom was standing in the same place, looking at the ground next to him in horror. She was about to ask what was wrong, before she noticed that the space her mother had occupied just a moment ago was now empty, and Sabine was nowhere in sight.

A surge of panic rushed through the heroine as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The Scribbler wasn't creating people, she was _recreating_ them--plucking citizens from Paris and replacing them with more interesting characters, all of whom would do the villain's bidding. Which meant that until this Akuma was defeated, her mother no longer existed.

And more importantly, neither did Ladybug's Miraculous.

Without a word to her father, Marinette dashed down into the bakery and then out into the street. A few blocks down, she could see the Akuma advancing ever closer to her parents' bakery, but so far, the Scribbler didn't seem to be doing much besides building her army. There didn't seem to be any immediate threat, but Marinette felt anxious anyway as she ran down the street toward the akumatized villain. As she drew closer, she skirted around it, giving the growing crowd of soldiers a wide berth as she made her way toward her partner, who lay face down on the sidewalk.

She knelt at the cat boy's side, rolling him over. "Come on, kitty!" she said, shaking his shoulders.

She felt a lump form in her throat when he didn't respond, and tears sprang to her eyes. She pressed her head against his chest, hearing a heartbeat, thank God, but he still didn't move. "Oh, please don't be broken! Chat!"

After a moment, he seemed to shift a little. She breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes fluttered open, and his gaze settled on hers.

"M-Marinette?" he mumbled, and she was surprised how soft his voice sounded. He squinted, as though he was having trouble seeing her. She could've sworn he was blushing, but it was probably a trick of the light. "What...?"

"You hit the wall pretty hard," she said, genuinely concerned for her partner. "Are you alright?" Then she remembered that she was supposed to be fangirl Marinette, and she added, "Er, I mean, of course you're alright, 'cause you're a superhero! But, like, does your head hurt too bad?"

He sat up, and Marinette scooted back, realizing for the first time how close they were. She watched as he glanced around, seeming disoriented. When his eyes found hers again, he almost looked vulnerable, which was not a state she was comfortable seeing him in. But he quickly recovered his signature swagger, a sly grin overcoming his features as he looked at her. He tried to close the distance between them, and she had to lean away to compensate. "So nice of you to be concerned, princess. But don't worry; I've got a thick skull."

Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes, thinking, _Yeah, I know._ "But still, are you okay? You were out for a good minute or two." _Leave it to Chat to take the tension right out of a situation._

"I'll be fine, just as soon as my lady shows up to help me with this Akuma."

The blue-eyed girl felt a pang of guilt, but before she could dwell on it too long, she stood briskly to support Chat as he attempted to stand. He wobbled a bit, still dizzy, and had to lean on the shorter girl for support. Marinette sighed, finding herself suddenly and inconveniently reminded of Adrien's taunting from earlier that day, but she told herself she had bigger things to worry about. "I wouldn't count on Ladybug arriving anytime soon," she mumbled, mostly to herself.

"Why is that?"

Marinette flinched. She hadn't meant for him to hear her, but she supposed lowering her voice wouldn't be enough to deceive his feline senses. "Um, because--"

She never got to finish her sentence.

A few blocks ahead, things with the Scribbler were starting to heat up. The Akuma had long since given up her mission to expand her army, and instead, Marinette found, she was building her fortress. All around the superhero duo, buildings were starting to up and disappear all together, replaced by towers and amphitheaters and other strange structures. On the one hand, it was quite impressive to watch. On the other hand--

"Come on!" Marinette grabbed Chat by his wrist and practically dragged him along with her as she raced to catch up with the Akuma. Desperate, she pulled him to the side and pointed out the Asian woman to the black-clad hero. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that she had to get her Miraculous back. "See that Asian woman with the bow? That's my mom. I need you to sepparate her from the crowd. Please!"

Chat looked at the woman, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "But that's not--"

"Hurry!" She pushed him into the crowd, falling back to watch. She felt bad, but decided she would apologize later.

Chat Noir stumbled into the crowd, bracing himself for impact, but it never came. The characters that surrounded him ignored him completely, apparently not seeing him as a threat anymore. Perhaps they only attacked when someone else made the first move, or when ordered. Chat decided he didn't want to find out. He pushed through the sea of people toward the unfamiliar woman Marinette had pointed out, and sidled up behind her. He wasn't sure how this could possibly be Marinette's mother, because he'd met the woman before, and this lady looked nothing like her, but he decided it better not to argue.

He sighed, taking his staff in one hand and putting his arm around the woman's waist, and before she could even react, he'd extended his staff and they flew above the crowd. The Scribbler instantly took notice, and spun on them like a hound sniffing out a ham, but they were already falling toward Marinette by the time she gave the order to attack. The woman struggled against him as he landed, pushing on the side of his face so hard his neck popped, but he somehow found the strength to hold her steady as he rejoined Marinette, and they took off down the alleyway.

 **Alrighty, so this is kinda straying from my original idea a bit, but I like it so far, so I might continue. Anyway, I feel like it's been too long since I updated, so even though I _should_ be doing homework, I'll update instead. Anyway, hope you guys liked it. More MariChat to come in the next chapter!**


	4. 4

**Hello hello, lovely readers!**

 **That's about all the positivity you're going to get out of me probably for the rest of the year. Enjoy it while it lasts.**

If Adrien had known the first person he'd see when he woke up after being thrown like a ragdoll into the side of a building would be Marinette, he would've prepared some witty remark to sweep her off her feet.

Unfortunately, though, he had been completely out of sorts when he finally came to, and for a moment, he even forgot that he was still transformed. Not to mention that he originally mistook her for Ladybug... In his defense, they looked a little alike (high praise, coming from him).

His lady was still MIA, however, and once again Chat found himself in the company of the shy Marinette, though at the moment, her demeanor was far from shy.

Surprisingly, his princess was keeping pace and even getting ahead of him as they raced to escape the Scribbler. He may have been carrying a struggling woman in his arms, but still--outrunning him should've been no easy feat, especially for Marinette, who he'd never imagined to be very athletic. But she held her own, and even guided him through alleys, taking constant twists and turns in an attempt to confuse their pursuers (and Chat in the process).

"This way!" she called back to him, ducking behind a dumpster. It stank, but it would have to do.

He followed after her, his hand over the woman's mouth so she wouldn't give them away. She was trying to bite him, but luckily his suit protected him--for the most part, anyway.

"What are we doing?" Chat asked urgently. "This isn't your mother, Marinette." Surely Marinette couldn't be... racist? No, of course not. Hopefully just blind.

"It is," she said, "or at least, a version of her. The Akuma doesn't just create people, Chat, she remakes them. Takes real people from Paris and transforms them."

Chat raised his eyebrows. Why hadn't he figured that out already? _Well, Marinette_ is _really smart_ , he thought. _She'd make a good superhero. Though, I don't see her and Ladybug getting along_ _that well_. As he studied the girl in front of him, he realized there was something different about her. Her hair? Her eyes? Were her freckles darker than usual? No, that wasn't right.

Chat was startled out of his musings as the woman's elbow managed to connect with his jaw. He grunted. "So what now?" He decided not to point out that he still had an Akuma to fight. It was understandable that Marinette wanted her mother back; he just wasn't sure he had time.

She cringed, panic beginning to show on her face. "I don't know!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "What should I do? I have to get my mother back before it's too late!"

"Calm down, princess. I'll get your mother back, one way or another," he promised, and then was promptly punched in the face. Luckily, not by Marinette.

He couldn't take it anymore. He let go of the woman's mouth and used his free arm to hold her tighter, but the instant her mouth was free, she was spewing curses.

He gaped. _I've never even heard any of these before_!

"--Let me go or I'll cut off your b--"

"Woah!" Chat interrupted, having heard enough for a lifetime. "Let's not go there, yeah? This cat isn't planning on being neutered anytime soon."

Marinette made an "ew" face, but the woman just groaned. "Let me go! I must return to my mistress!"

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me how to get my mother back!" insisted Marinette.

"I don't know anything about that! Now free me, or I'll kill you both!"

Chat sighed. His head was throbbing, making it hard to think, but he had an idea. It wasn't a good idea, but it was an idea. "If I use Cataclysm on her, do you think it would change her back?"

Marinette gasped. "What? No, you _cannot_ use the power of destruction on my mother! Are you insane?"

He shrugged, frowning. He wanted to help, but without Ladybug, what could he do? "That's kinda all I do, princess. Destroy things."

"Hmm. I bet if you destroyed the notebook, my mother would go back to normal."

 _Why couldn't you have said that before?_ "Sounds like a plan," he said instead, "but what do we do with--"

Before Chat could blink, Marinette decked the woman right in the face.

The body in his arms fell limp, and Chat gawked at the raven-haired girl. "Wha..."

She looked at him determinedly. "I'll watch her. You go save Paris!"

He nodded dumbly, unaware that the woman had dropped out of his hands like a sack of flour. Realizing his mouth was hanging open, he shut it with another nod. "Um, right." He mentally slapped himself. "I mean, RIGHT! I totally got this. Don't worry, princess!" He winked at her and then turned on his heel. "Leave the work to the heroes!"

 _Or hero_ , he thought as he jogged down the alley. _Where is Ladybug?_

\--

The Scribbler had never felt more accomplished. Not when she graduated 8th grade with a 4.0, not when she finished a hundred pages of her novel, not even when she won three awards in a single day. Compared to now, all of that seemed trivial. She had everything she ever wanted. She had magic powers, lived in a city _literally_ right out of a fairytale, and she was wearing a cool outfit. She was almost finished building her empire. All that was left was retrieving the items her sponsor had asked for, and she figured it couldn't be too hard.

Yes, everything was going according to plan. At least, until a cat fell out of the sky.

"Yahh!" the hero called as he fell. The Scribbler only had time to look up before he crashed down on top of her.

That was when all hell broke loose. All at once, the Scribbler felt her notebook snatched out of her hand as a hundred people tackled her at the same time in the biggest dogpile in history. She swore she could feel her ribs cracking--but then the weight was gone.

She stood up, and then gasped as she saw her notebook in the hands of that damn cat. And with a single tear, her life's work was ruined. A scream wrenched its way out of her throat and she fell to her knees, frozen in fear.

She'd failed. It was over.

\--

Meanwhile, in an alley a few blocks away, Marinette found that the woman had disappeared, and in her place, Sabine lay, still unconscious. There was a bruise on her face where Marinette had punched her. The girl winced, but reminded herself that she could fix it, just as soon as she found her earrings.

She found them in her mother's left pocket, and she took her new earrings out and replaced them with her old ones.

Tikki appeared in front of her, a stern look on her face. "Just what were you thinking, Marinette? You know you can't take out your earrings--"

"You can lecture me later, Tikki. Spots on!"

With a flash of light, Marinette found herself in her familiar suit, and she felt relief flood her. Finally, she could make everything right. She took her yoyo in her hand and with it, she flew through the streets toward her partner, new earrings still in hand. She couldn't help grinning.

When she landed, though, her smile fell.

The Akuma was getting away, already dangerously far overhead, but on land, Chat and what remained of the Scribbler were in an all-out fistfight. And the Scribbler was winning.

 _That's one determined villain_ , mused Ladybug. She'd never seen an akuma keep fighting after the akuma was gone. Though she didn't seem to retain her powers, the Scribbler sure was putting up a fight. At this rate, Chat would have a lot more than a headache.

Ladybug looked between the pair and the black butterfly, and she knew she had to help Chat Noir. She threw her yoyo into the air and called, "Lucky Charm!"

Out of the sky dropped a round ball covered in her signature ladybug spots, but it was slightly egg shaped and had a Chinese character on the side. Without the label, Marinette wouldn't have been able to recognize it, but she'd watched enough cheesy ninja movies to know what it was.

She threw her yoyo and swung forward, throwing the bomb down at the fighting duo, and it exploded into a cloud of smoke. She didn't have long to admire her handiwork, however, because she was still mid-swing. She let go of the building she was latched to and flung her yoyo ahead of her at the nasty bug, landing on a rooftop as she caught it.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma," she said in triumph. She opened her yoyo, and a white butterfly fluttered out. She smiled at it. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

She watched it fly away, and then jumped down to where Chat and the Scribbler were still coughing. She picked up the remains of the smoke bomb and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The Scribbler transformed in a cloud of black, back into a normal girl. She looked around in a daze. "Wha--oh, no..." Judging by her expression she'd already guessed what happened. She stood up and looked at Ladybug apologetically. "Ladybug, I--"

"It's okay," the heroine assured her. "Why don't you go home? The news reports will be here soon."

She nodded sadly and turned away, apologizing over her shoulder. As the girl disappeared, Ladybug turned to her partner. He looked fine, but he narrowed his cat eyes at her as he stood up. "And just where were _you_ this whole time?"

Ladybug opened her hand, gazing down at her earrings. There were impressions in the palm of her hand where she'd held them, in the hand that she used to throw her yoyo. _It's amazing I managed not to lose them. Lucky me._ She shook her head, silently swearing she'd never wear them again.

She closed her hand, but before she did, Chat caught a glimpse of something pink and sparkly. She shook her head once more, sighing. "It's a long story."

\--

Marinette stayed up late into the night to finish her homework. She was positive she could get it all done, if only she could--yawn--stay awake. But her mind kept wandering to Chat. She was pretty sure he was mad at her now--Ladybug, not Marinette--and she couldn't really blame him. She still felt guilty about leaving him alone, even if it turned out alright in the end. Tikki, too. The sprite had assured her that no, she was not mad at the heroine, though she did get a good, long lecture once they got home.

Though she couldn't help thinking that everyone was cross with her at the moment, she knew she'd feel better after she got some rest.

She was just about to give up and change into her pajamas when she heard a light tapping. At first, she dismissed it as rain, but when she looked out the window, a clear, dark sky gazed back at her. She followed the sound to her trapdoor, and found herself face-to-face with a certain black cat. He grinned unapologetically at her through the glass. _Wonder if it's too late to pretend I didn't see him,_ part of her thought, but she popped it open anyway. He jumped down to stand next her with all the grace of his namesake and took a dramatic bow.

"Why, hello, purrincess." He leaned against the railing as she closed the trapdoor, striking a pose. "Miss me?"

Marinette rolled her eyes with her back turned to him, but couldn't help the small smile that played across her lips. She turned to face him. "Chat Noir, what are you doing here so late?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I wanted to make sure you got home okay," he said, some Adrien-brand sincerity sneaking into his voice. "Is your mom...?"

"Still a bow-wielding maniac? Luckily, no." She giggled. "Everything is back to normal. No need to worry."

He nodded, standing awkwardly for a moment before pointing weakly at the trapdoor. "I guess I'll head out, then..."

Marinette smiled, rolling her eyes again. "Would you like to come in, Chat?"

She immediately regretted her invitation as a wide smirk spread across his lips. "Purr-haps I would," he purred.

"Great," she said, only half sarcastically.

She led the way down the stairs, and he slinked after her. He'd been in Marinette's room before, but at night, and as Chat... He blushed, suddenly interested in his shoes. Luckily, she didn't notice. She sat down in her swivel chair, and he stood awkwardly until she spoke.

"Thanks... for, you know, saving my mom and stuff. You didn't have to that."

He smiled at her. "Anytime, princess. Just happy to be of service." Getting over his embarrassment, he sat down cross-legged in front of her. "You know, Marinette, you're a lot more athletic than I thought. I mean, the way you punched that woman was hiss-terical. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Her eyes widened. "Um, I--I took self-defense classes when I was little."

Chat nodded his approval, evidently not noticing her discomfort. "All girls should know how to fight," he said, though one girl/bug in particular popped up in his mind.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm just glad you were there... Even if Ladybug wasn't," she said with a guilty sigh.

Chat shook his head, coming to his lady's defense. "She probably just got caught up in something important. She still saved the day in the end."

"Yeah, but she was slacking off." She glared at the floor. "She should've been prepared, but she wasn't."

Chat frowned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Marinette, who was normally the most understanding, compassionate person in Paris was talking bad about his lady? "She's doing her best, Marinette. She's got a lot on her shoulders."

She smiled at that. "Thanks. Er, I mean--you're right." She let out a yawn, leaning back in her chair. "You should probably go, Chat. It's late. Even heroes have to sleep, no?"

"Aw, what? But I just got here!" he complained. "You're kicking me out already?"

"Yep."

"Ugh... fine." He didn't want to leave yet, but it wasn't his place to intrude. Still, if he could only stall a bit longer... He stood up, glancing around the room, until something caught his eye--a kitty cat pillow, on her bed. Instantly, his face lit up in a Cheshire grin. "Hey Marinette."

"Yes, Chat?"

"Do you like cats?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before the girl answered with a cautious, "Yes...?"

Chat turned towars her, leaning in a _bit_ too close to her face. " _...Black_ cats?"

"Uh, well I actually prefer calico cats--"

"Hmph." _Playing hard to get, eh?_ he thought, smirking.

He inched nearer, so close that their noses almost touched. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek as he reached up to grasp her chin gently. His glowing green eyes peered into hers, and she almost forgot to breathe.

But then the spell broke. "Uhhh..." she ducked out of the way, grinning nervously. "Chat, what are you doing?"

"A little birdie told me you've got a thing for cats..." He chuckled. "Well, one cat in particular."

 _Oh. OH!_ Marinette felt her face heat up. _How could he possibly have found out about that?! Oh my God!_ She shook her head insistently, flustered. "N-no! That's--UGH!"

"You don't have to be embarrassed, princess. After all, _I'm_ the cat's meow," he said, crossing his arms and smirking down at the girl. "Must be pretty nice, getting a visit from your celebrity crush. After all, I don't make special trips for _all_ the citizens I save."

Marinette facepalmed, groaning. _So much for lucky me._ "Look, Chat..." She sighed, twirling a strand of blue hair in her fingers. "How to put this gently... Um, I don't really like--"

"Wait..." Chat looked over the girl's shoulder, doing a double take. Was that... his face?

He pushed past her, and upon closer inspection, yeah, that _was_ his face. A collection of photos of Adrien was taped to the wall of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's bedroom, so many that he felt like he was in the room of mirrors in a haunted house or something. Adrien Agreste. _Not_ Chat Noir.

"Hey!" The girl in question jumped in front of Chat, and Chat suddenly felt like she could see right through his suit to the person inside. Her cheeks were as red as Ladybug's uniform.

Chat tried to say something clever, but what came out was something along the lines of, "P-p-pictures." He cleared his throat. "I mean, those pictures... that's Adrien Agreste."

Marinette flinched, bursting into a fit of nervous giggles. "Whaaaat? No way. Adrien Agreste? I don't... I don't even know who that _is_."

"Sure you do. He's in your class."

"Oh... THAT Adrien Agreste. Psh..."

She pushed him away from the wall of photos, but he picked up the framed photo on her desktop instead. His mouth dropped open. This one wasn't even _from_ his photo shoots. _Where the hell did she even get this?_ Marinette snatched the photo out of his hands, but the damage was done. He gawked at her. "What...?"

"I--I'm a designer!" she said quickly, clutching the picture against her chest, her cheeks inflamed. "His dad is my favorite designer! I saved them for the outfits, not for Adrien!"

"Oh..." He nodded, sighing in relief. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Jeez _, Adrien,_ he chided himself, this is _Marinette we're talking about. She's a good person. She's not some kind of stalker... but still, where did she get that picture?_ He decided he'd rather not know. He put the picture back down and scratched his head. Marinette was watching him, and he looked down at her, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, but the words stuck in his throat when he saw her expression.

Her blue eyes were glassy, like she was holding back tears. Her arms were crossed. Instantly, he wished he'd just kept his mouth shut, or even better, that he'd stayed home. Did she think he was making fun of her? Before he could ask, she uncrossed her arms and put them around him, and he froze.

She pressed her head against his chest, sighing into the hug. Meanwhile, Chat was holding his breath, as if afraid a slight movement would scare her away. They stood like that for several seconds before Marinette spoke.

"I'm sorry for... I'm sorry. I just..." _I don't want to lose you,_ she wished she could say, but even if she did, he wouldn't understand.

So she hugged him a bit longer, and by the time she pulled away, he had relaxed a bit. He gave her a concerned look. "Marinette, are you okay?"

She nodded. _Oh, jeez, he's probably so weirded out. Why did I do that?_ "Um, sorry. Anyway, probably time to go."

This time, he nodded. He looked at the picture o f himself on her desk thoughtfully. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry for... you know, hugging you."

"It's okay."

His eyes glazed the surface of her desk, but only as he was about to turn away did something in the corner of his vision catch his eye. It was small, maybe jewelry, but he didn't get a good enough look at it before Marinette was pulling him toward the door. But there was something about the way it glinted, bright and pink, that was somehow familiar.

But as soon as he had climbed out the trap door, the memory of the earrings fluttered out of his mind, carried off by the wind as the hero disappeared into the night.

 **Okay, so I struggled with this a bit, because in all of the episodes except the origins episodes, the Akumas don't return to normal until after Ladybug says "Miraculous Ladybug." But Stoneheart just kinda transforms after the Akuma is realeased. Soooo idk??? Plot hole? Am I missing something? Anyway, sorry if there are errors, but this chapter is suuuper long, so I might have missed a couple. Ciao.**


	5. 5

**Blarghhhh**

 **Summer is too hot! It's making me not want to write. Plus, I had to give my laptop back to my school, so I have nothing to write with except my phone. Anyway, that's why this is late.**

When Adrien fell asleep that night, his dream started off like many had before it: he was doing a presentation in school, but had somehow managed to forget to wear pants.

It wasn't that big of a deal; he felt embarrassed, sure, but no one really made any indication of noticing his missing apparel, so he went on presenting, occasionally tugging down the hem of his shirt in a pointless attempt to cover his underwear. It wasn't until he noticed his that someone was sitting at his desk that his dream strayed from the usual.

Beside his best friend Nino sat a boy in a skin-tight black cat outfit. It took Adrien a moment to realize that he was staring at himself, only transformed. Chat Noir grinned at him, bright green eyes narrowing to slits as he chuckled, as if the two were sharing a private joke. Whatever the joke was, though, it evidently had gone straight over Adrien's head as he blathered on about... Wait, what was his report on again?

Adrien began to panic, eyes drifting to Ms. Mendeleiev (whose hair was bright green, though it didn't seem important at the time). She tapped her foot, sneering at him, and made a hand gesture which probably meant, _Wrap it up_. But wrap up what, exactly?

"Uhm..." He stood awkwardly, looking out at his classmates until someone at his side put a hand on his shoulder, and his heart nearly stopped.

To his right stood Ladybug, looking at him with annoyance. Normally, he'd feel right at home receiving such a look from his partner, but as Adrien, it wasn't funny. What really bothered him, though, was that her suit wasn't red anymore. It was pink.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Just finish the stupid presentation already! Chat and I have an Akuma to catch."

"Oh!" He looked at Chat, who winked. "But _I'm_ Chat--"

"Just do the presentation!"

"Uh, right. Sorry." He cleared his throat, willing the subject of his project to come to mind, but he was blank. "So..."

Ladybug sighed. "Do I have to do everything?"

But before she could do _anything_ , the dream shifted, and Adrien found himself back in Marinette's room. Marinette stood beside him, sporting a frown that was usually reserved for Chloe. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"So, you lied to me."

"What?" he asked.

"You lied to me," the girl repeated.

He tried to think back to a time when he'd lied to Marinette, but he couldn't think of anything. "No, I didn't."

"You're Chat Noir."

He felt the air sucked out of his chest and doubled over, wheezing. He couldn't comprehend what was happening, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. The pain was so real, he forgot it was a dream... until he shot straight up in his bed.

He pried open his eyes, panting and drenched in cold sweat. His eyes flitted across his room, but everything was in its place. Plagg slept on his bedside table, snoring loudly for such a little cat, completely ignorant to Adrien's distress. He took a moment to catch his breath. His heart was pounding in his chest, and Marinette's words echoed in his head.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed. What could have brought on such a dream? Was it because he had just visited Marinette the night before? Or maybe, subconsciously, he felt bad that he went as Chat Noir... Almost like he was lying to her. He supposed, in a sense, he was taking advantage of the fact that he was a superhero to visit her, and in the night, no less...

He shook his head. He wasn't exactly _lying_ to her, so it didn't count, did it? _But if Marinette knew that I was in her room in the middle of the night, she'd totally flip. She'd hate me. So aren't I being dishonest just by being there?_

"Ugh..." He checked the clock. His alarm wasn't due to go off for another thirty minutes, but he doubted he'd get any sleep now. _Might as well get up._

With a heavy sigh and a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Adrien Agreste showered as usual, but he didn't sing like he normally would. There was something at the back of his mind bothering him, something he was forgetting... He got so caught up in trying to remember that he accidentally used body soap in his hair.

When he realized his mistake, he scoffed at his own foolishness and sped through the rest of his morning routine, then went to the dining room to eat breakfast alone. All by himself, he had plenty of time to think over the affairs of the past few days.

He still felt guilty about Marinette. She seemed so upset last night, and he thought that it must be his fault. Maybe she was insecure about her feelings for his alter ego, and wasn't comfortable with his confrontation of them. Or maybe she was just overwhelmed about her mother being kidnapped. Either way, Adrien decided he'd better not tease her anymore, at least for awhile.

It didn't seem funny anyway, after everything that happened yesterday.

He couldn't help it: the image of Marinette hugging him tearfully stayed in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to forget it. It felt like he was invading her privacy, seeing her so vulnerable. He'd always thought Marinette was so strong, in her own way, and seeing her cry made him feel like he knew her better, like they'd shared something important.

But they didn't. Because as much as he would've loved to say they were even better friends than before, he knew they weren't. And that was going to bother him.

He felt a rustling in his shirt pocket, and Plagg emerged with a yawn, revealing pointy little fangs. He blinked up at Adrien. "Would you hurry up? You've been working on that same croissant for half an hour," he whined. "Even I eat faster than _this_."

"We got an early start anyway," Adrien grumbled. "Quit your complaining."

" _You_ just wanna stay here so you can think about your _girlfriend._ Come on, there's barely two bites left! Just shove it in your mouth and let's go!"

"I was _not_ thinking about my girlfriend. Er--she's not my girlfriend!" He frowned at his plate. Normally, croissants were his favorite, but this one tasted like cardboard. "She's my friend, and I want to help her. Besides, I'm in love with Ladybug. You know that."

"What makes you think she wants _your_ help? Clearly she doesn't want anything to do with Chat Noir, and after you were such a jerk to her yesterday, I doubt she wants anything to do with Adrien, either."

"I don't need your advice, Plagg." He stood up, shoving his plate aside. Someone would take care of it after he left. "And besides, you're wrong."

 _At least, I hope you're wrong,_ he thought dreadfully as the two set off for the collège.

\--

Nino first suspected something was up with Adrien when he tripped down the stairs on their way to class.

See, Adrien didn't _trip_. It just wasn't something he did. He always stood up straight, walked with just the right amount of poise so he didn't seem too cocky, and he never, _ever_ stumbled. Unlike Nino, who couldn't walk three steps without falling flat on his face.

Frankly, Nino would've been shocked--concerned, even-- if Adrien had, say, stubbed a toe, or something common like that. But the fact that he straight up took a tumble down the stairs made Nino unsure whether to burst out laughing or call a psychiatrist. Something had to be seriously wrong for Adrien to be acting as clumsy as Marinette.

"Oh my God. Dude, are you okay?" he asked as he rushed to his friend's side.

The blond sat up with a groan, shaking his head. "Yeah, nothing broken. Maybe bruised."

Nino reached out a hand to help his friend up, and Adrien took it gratefully. Nino narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the blond brushed himself off. "Man, what's up with you? Is your dad gettin' you down again?"

"No, why?"

"I dunno, you just seem off your game. Is everything okay, dude?"

Adrien shrugged as they continued up the stairs to their classroom. Nino noted the way he rubbed his neck and his uncomfortable expression. "It's stupid... Er, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Does Marinette like me?"

Nino froze. _What do I say? What do I say?!_ _How did he find out? Did Alya tell him? Oh, God, she's going to kill me._ "Umm... I don't--I don't know. No?"

Adrien wilted. "Really?"

"Er..." _Why does he look so sad? Does that mean he likes her too? And more importantly, that Alya won't kill me?!_ "I mean," he said cautiously, "yes."

The blond perked up instantly. "That's a relief!" He laughed. "You had me worried there, Nino."

Adrien walked on ahead toward the classroom, leaving Nino gawking at his back. He had to jog to catch up, and when he did, he rounded on Adrien. "Wait, dude. Why do you ask?"

Adrien shrugged, the look of discomfort returning to his supermodel features. "I just... I feel bad for teasing her so much about the Chat Noir thing."

Nino blinked. "Why?"

"I just feel like it was kind of... rude. You know, looking back."

"Uh... I mean, I guess, but... I just don't see what the big deal is. If you think it's mean, then just don't do it."

Adrien shook his head thoughtfully. "No, that won't do... Maybe I could buy her something to make up for it."

"So let me get this straight," said Nino, " _that's_ what this is about?" He shook his head, disbelieving. _Of course that's what this is about. I should've known Adrien is too oblivious to figure out that Marinette likes him on his own._ "It's not that big of a deal, dude. Just apologize."

Adrien shook his head, and Nino got the feeling he was missing something by the look on his friend's face. "I can't _just_ apologize."

"Man, I dunno what you're getting all worked up about. This whole thing is dumb. I don't see why you were teasing her so hard about it in the first place; it's obvious she doesn't _really_ like Chat Noir."

He sat down at his desk as they arrived in the classroom, but Adrien stayed standing. He was frowning. "What do you mean?"

Nino sighed. "Look, dude. Even if she did like him, he's a superhero. It's just a celebrity crush. No biggie. Besides, you can't pretend you're not totally crushing on Ladybug."

"What?! I--"

Nino held up his hands in a "stop" gesture. "All I'm saying is, I don't see how it was any of your business in the first place. But to be honest, I don't think Marinette is really angry about it, so as long as you don't do it anymore, you're golden, dude."

Adrien nodded slowly, sliding into his seat next to Nino. "You really think so?"

Before Nino could answer, Alya walked in and took her seat behind him, and Nino turned around to greet her. "Hey, Alya."

"Hey, Nino," she said with a yawn.

"Rough night?"

"Stayed up working on the Ladyblog. Man, that Akuma yesterday was wild, huh? I managed to get the end of the fight. Wanna see?"

She leaned forward and held her phone so that both boys could see. The bright screen displayed a short clip of Ladybug appearing from an alley and using Lucky Charm to break up the fight between the Scribbler and Chat Noir. The video ended on a blurry shot of Ladybug examining something in the palm of her hand and Chat looking annoyed.

"Pretty cool, huh? I was in the shower when the fight started, so I--"

"Wait." Adrien looked at the phone like it held the secrets to the universe, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Go back to the beginning."

She followed his instructions and paused on a shot of Ladybug emerging from a nearby alley. The blond didn't say anything, but he looked disturbed.

Marinette burst through the door before Nino could ask what was wrong, just seconds before the bell rang. She straightened up in the doorway, her face red with either embarrassment or exertion, and took her seat behind the two boys. Nino couldn't help notice how Adrien's eyes followed as she passed, but he had a weird look on his face.

 _Something's going on between those two,_ he thought. _And if anyone can figure it out, it's Alya._

 **Thanks for reading, guys. Don't forget to review and stuff. Ciao.**


	6. 6

***internal screaming***

 **I know I have some explaining to do about why this is so late, so here you go: My motivation for writing is slipping away at a rapid pace without my laptop... Basically, this was my little side project that I would work on whenever I got bored of writing my bigger project, and since I can't write my bigger thingie without my laptop, I've been procrastinating on this. Sue me.**

 **But because I love the attention, I will power through the pain to read more of your reviews and stuff. I live for that shit, so once you're done reading this, I command you to take the time to write a review. LOVE ME!!!**

One of the things Marinette loved the most about Alya was her taste in coffee.

It used to be that she and Alya would get coffee on the weekends or after school and talk about important things, like Adrien or upcoming events. They'd spend an hour or so milking the same cups of coffee, and maybe Alya would work on her blog, or Marinette would draw in her sketchbook, and they'd bounce ideas off of each other about their separate projects. When they weren't doing homework, that is.

But that before Alya and Nino started becoming... whatever they were now. Now, every time Alya would ask Marinette out for coffee, she could assume that Nino would be there, too--which, of course, meant Adrien would be as well.

Not that she minded. Like, drinking coffee with her soulmate? Sign her up. But still, she missed the time she and Alya used to spend alone, and with everything going on, she figured a little TLC with her bestie was exactly what she needed. She _still_ hadn't told Alya about Chat Noir paying her a visit, and now she wasn't sure if she even should. After all, what if she decided to put it on her blog?!

Marinette could already feel the embarrassment! Plus, what would her parents think? She imagined getting called into the living room, and the look of outrage on her parents' faces when they asked her why the _hell_ a boy in a leather catsuit came in through her bedroom window in the middle of the night. She'd be grounded for years!

"Marinette, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Huh?" Marinette blinked, her face heating up as she realized she'd been gaping in horror at a barista across the cafe for an embarrassing amount of time, who was now staring at her like she was insane. "Um, what?"

Alya laughed. The four of them sat at a round table in Marinette's favorite cafe, with Nino and Alya next to her and Adrien across from her (so she had a perfect view of his glory). She must've been spacing out for a while, because all eyes were on her. Nino and Alya looked amused, but Adrien was looking at her with something akin to suspicion. She sunk into her chair uncomfortably under his intense gaze, her face heating up further. _Now you've done it!_

"Girl, you are _so_ spacey lately! Are you feeling okay?" Alya asked, though she didn't sound particularly concerned.

Marinette nodded, grinning nervously. "O-of course! What were we talking about?"

"Duh, the upcoming festival! I'm _so_ psyched!" She pulled her phone out and showed her a link posted on the Ladyblog, evidently about a Ladybug festival coming up after school ends. "Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you don't even read my blog!"

Marinette internally snorted. _I'm not_ that _vain._ "I must've accidentally missed that post," she said instead. "What's this festival about? Are Ladybug and Chat supposed to be there?"

"Uh, _yeah_! It's Ladybug themed; of course they're gonna be there." Alya grinned at Nino. "There's supposed to be all kinds of activities. A costume contest, a puppet show, a scavenger hunt, and a romantic ball at midnight! Plus, Ladybug themed art from all across France is gonna be featured, and let's not forget the most important part: the food vendors! And I'm gonna get it all on camera!"

"That's pretty ambitious, Alya," said Nino uneasily. "How are you gonna enjoy the festival if you're recording it the whole time?"

"Who cares? And here's the best part!" She squealed, hitting Marinette on the shoulder to make sure she was listening before saying, "Ladybug and Chat Noir are rumored to be dancing at the ball!"

Marinette stood up abruptly. "Um, bathroom," she said simply before excusing herself to the girl's restroom.

As soon as she was sure there was no one else in the bathroom stalls, Marinette opened her bag up to free Tikki. "Did you hear that, Tikki?" she asked the sprite. "A festival! How did I not know about this earlier?"

Tikki shrugged. "You had bigger things to worry about, Marinette. And you still do."

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to be there as Ladybug _and_ Marinette? Alya will kill me if I don't go!"

"You'll figure something out. I'm sure you will! But right now, why don't you focus on studying for your finals?"

The raven-haired girl nodded slowly. Tikki was right, as usual. She had bigger fish to fry. "You're right. I can't keep getting distracted. From now on, it's school and akumas until the festival!" she said determinedly. "In that case, I should go straight home. We'll have all summer long to hang out with friends. Right now is study time!"

"That's the spirit!"

Marinette shut her purse again with Tikki inside and went back out to say goodbye to her classmates, but just as she rounded the corner, she slammed straight into someone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and took a step back. She looked up, her eyes catching on uncertain green orbs as she stuttered out an apology. "I-I'm sorry--"

"S'okay," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her gaze. "I was just going to the bathroom."

"Oh..." Marinette blinked, her face burning. "B-but this is the girl's bathroom..."

"Oh... Right. That makes sense." He cleared his throat, and for the first time, she realized just how close they were. Their faces were just inches apart--or rather, her face was inches from his chest--and he was looking down at her with his eyes narrowed in concentration. "So, listen, I wanted to apologize about the way I've been acting."

"Um... I-it's okay, Adrien. Really," she said calmly, but inside her head, she was screaming. _What_ _is happening?! Why is Adrien apologizing to me outside the girl's bathroom?! Oh, jeez, what if I took too long in the bathroom and he thinks I was--_

"No, it's not. And I want to make it up to you. Um, what are you doing on Saturday?"

"Uhhhh..." She blinked rapidly, gazing into his usually-bright eyes. There was something off about him. He was acting too serious. Regardless, she knew she should spend her free time studying, but this was _Adrien._ When would she ever get a chance like this again? "Nothing," she said decisively.

He smiled softly. "Good. I'll pick you up at three. Wear something nice." He blanched suddenly. "Not that what you wear normally _isn't_ nice! I just meant--"

"I-I get it." Marinette smiled rereassuringly (at least she hoped she did) and gripped the strap of her purse as she stepped past him. "Um, I've go gotta study. Er, gotta go study. Bye!"

She sped past him without waiting for him to respond and dashed through the cafe, stopping at the table where Alya and Nino sat to say goodbye before making her way back to the bakery.

\--

Alya had finished her second cup of iced coffee and was getting started on her third by the time her friend returned from the bathroom, appearing as if from nowhere and saying a curt goodbye, then promptly speeding out the door before Alya could remind her that she hadn't finished her frappe.

Adrien emerged only seconds later, sporting the grim expression that he'd worn all day. Alya had asked Nino what was wrong with him earlier, but all he'd said was, "We'll talk later." As if she didn't have better things to do than wait for an answer.

He sat down between Alya and Nino and stirred his cappuccino thoughtfully, completely oblivious to her stare. The news reporter within her was dying to ask questions, but as his friend, Alya knew she shouldn't. Adrien was a private person, from what she could tell, and even if she _did_ ask, she probably wouldn't get any answers. So she sipped her coffee and shifted her gaze down to her phone while Nino and Adrien started a conversation about... something not important.

She scrolled through the comment section of her latest post, most of which were positive remarks about the various activities rumored to occur at the festival, particularly the midnight ball. People were already raving about what they hoped would be a _romantic_ dance between Ladybug and Chat Noir, but Alya figured it was too much to ask for. They were professionals, after all.

Just as she was about to reply to a comment about the location of the festival, a notification popped up saying that she'd gotten a message from one of her subscribers. She opened it up and saw a link to a video, along with a message saying, "I was at the sight of the latest Akuma and managed to get this on camera. Thoughts?"

She was hesitant to click on the link at first in fear of hackers, but her curiosity won out. When the video loaded, what Alya saw made her do a double take.

The video, which must've taken place just after the news feed ended, started on a shot of a limp Chat Noir, before a familiar figure sprinted into the shot and knelt at the fallen hero's side. After a moment, Chat Noir seemed to wake up, and camera followed them as the girl led him out of view, and then the footage ended. It was only seconds long, but it was enough to make Alya's jaw drop.

Because no doubt about it, that was Marinette.

"Oh. My. God."

 **Fun fact: I can't stand coffee.**

 **Anyway, I know there are a lot of fan fics about balls (haha), so I probably won't delve into that too much unless you guys want me to. Instead, I'll probably focus on the festival itself, and if you guys have any suggestions for what you want to see in the festival, I will gladly take them. I need all the inspiration I can get.**

 **Also, sorry in advance if the next update takes awhile. I've been in the writing mood lately, so hopefully it won't, but you never know. Thanks for being patient with me!**


	7. 7

**Hullo there! Can you type with a British accent? Because I can! BRILLIANT!**

 **(Is that racist? I feel like it is. But then again, "British" isn't a race, is it?)**

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU MET CHAT NOIR?!"

Marinette flinched, holding the phone away from her ear. "Alya! Not so loud!"

"Answer the question, Marinette! This is an absolute OUTRAGE! YOU DIDN'T TELL _ME_ , YOUR BEST FRIEND--"

"YOU'RE STILL SHOUTING ALYA."

"Sorry! I just can't believe you didn't tell me about this earlier. I thought we tell each other everything, Marinette!"

Marinette cringed. "I'm sorry, okay? It must've slipped my mind. It's not that big of a deal; it's not like I haven't met him before--"

"Yes, but this is way bigger than the time with Evillustrator! Did you seriously run out in the middle of an Akuma attack to save him?"

"Er, I guess? How did you even find out about that?"

"Someone sent me a video. It only showed you waking him up after he was thrown into that building and passed out. What were you doing? What happened? Where were you leading him?"

Marinette sighed as Alya bombarded her with questions. _So much for studying._ She told Alya the quick version of the story, leaving out the part about the earrings, of course. When she was finished, Alya was silent for a moment. Then, "YOUR MOTHER WAS KIDNAPPED AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

"I'm sorry, Alya! I've just been preoccupied with other things. Such as..." Marinette bit her lip to keep from squealing. "A date with Adrien!"

Alya gasped, all traces of anger disappearing in an instant. "Tell. Me. Everything."

This time, Marinette _did_ squeal. "He asked me out just before I left the cafe! He's going to pick me up on Saturday, and he said to wear something fancy!"

"Adrien did? Today?"

Why did she sound speculative? "Yeah, why?"

"You mean you haven't noticed? Adrien's been acting _super_ weird, like, all day. Nino said he fell down the stairs before class."

" _Adrien?_ "

"I know, right? Maybe he's the victim of, like, a body-switching Akuma or something. But, girl, didn't you notice? He was staring at you all day!"

Actually, she _did_ notice. All throughout the day, Adrien kept turning around to look at her. He'd open his mouth, as if to say something, but then apparently change his mind and face forward again. Of course, she didn't mind, but she was starting to think maybe he was mad at her or something. But now that he'd asked her out...

 _Oh my God! What if all those times he tried to say something, he was trying to ask me on a date?_ The thought made Marinette want to jump for joy.

"What do you think, Marinette? Any ideas why he might be acting this way?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe he's sick?"

"Adrien doesn't get sick."

"Oh, right. Well, he apologized about the Chat Noir thing. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Maybe..."

Alya went quiet for a moment, which was enough to make Marinette worry. "Alya?"

"Uh, gotta go! Bye!"

"Wait, Alya--" Marinette took the phone from her ear, frowning. "She hung up on me!"

\--

Alya slipped the phone into her pocket discreetly. She peered through the bushes as Nino crouched down beside her. He handed her a cup of coffee, which she took gratefully.

"Dude, how many of these have you had today?"

She shrugged. They were too far away; she could barely see anything! "Four or five."

He chuckled, grinning at her. "That is _so_ not healthy."

Alya didn't answer. Instead, she took the binoculars from her backpack and held them up to her eyes. It didn't do much, but it _did_ let her see what a bush looks like _super_ close up. She scoffed and put them back in her backpack to sit in shame, and think about what they'd done!

"Right, so, what are we doing again?"

"We're stalking Adrien." She sipped her coffee angrily. _Good old coffee. I can always count on you._ "Or at least, we would be, if we could actually see him."

"Uh-huh. Why is that, again?"

"You said so yourself: Adrien is acting weird. It's up to us to figure out why!"

"I take it Marinette didn't know, then?"

"Nope. She's as useless as these binoculars. And you."

"Wait, what?"

"We have to find a way to get closer!" She shifted the leaves to see through to the other side and groaned. "There are no bushes closer to him, though!"

"We could try _not_ hiding behind a bush." She glared at him. "Or, you know, not," he amended.

"We need disguises. Here, take off your shirt."

"What? No."

"Yeah, we're gonna switch. I'll be you and you'll be me," she said, taking off her plaid overshirt and tugging the hem of his shirt up insistently.

He tugged it back down, his face turning red. "Wait, I never agreed to this!"

"Oh, come on, Nino. I did it!"

"You have a tank top under!"

"Yeah, but you're a guy."

"Fine." He slid his shirt over his head and replaced it with her flannel. "Girl shirts are weirdly shaped."

Alya tugged his baggy blue shirt over her head and stole his hat, placing it on her own head. She stepped back to evaluate her creation, Nino blinking back at her. Her shirt did _not_ fit him right, but it was better than nothing. It was still missing something, though...

"Gimme your glasses," she ordered.

"Seriously?"

"You still look like you! Gimme your glasses!"

"I can't see without my glasses, Alya. Besides, I don't see you giving up yours!"

"Well, I'm the head detective. It's essential for me to be able to see."

He rolled his eyes and handed them over, squinting at her. "Happy?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "You look..." _Ridiculous._ "...not like yourself. That's good." She tucked his glasses into the front pocket of her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

Together, they tiptoed out from behind their bush and discreetly made their way toward Adrien, who stood at the center of the park, posing for a photo shoot and sporting the newest designs of his father's company. He seemed distracted enough, but just in case, Alya tugged the hat down to shield her face. She led him to a bench and they sat down, taking textbooks out of her backpack to gaze creepily over.

"He's not doing anything," Nino said after a moment.

"Not _yet_ ," Alya retorted.

"This is pointless, dude."

"Nino! You are seriously not helping."

"There's nothing to help!"

"Oh, crap! He's looking over here! Hide your face!"

"It's too late! He's coming over, dude!"

"ABANDON SHIP!"

The boy in question sauntered toward them, eyebrows drawn together in confusion and hands stuck in his pockets. "Alya? Nino?"

The couple shifted anxiously, and Alya cleared her throat. "Um, no... My name is Nina, and this is Alyo."

"Uh..."

Nino rolled his eyes, pushing the textbook out of the brunette's face. "I _think_ he sees us, Alya."

"Oh... hey Adrien! Funny seeing you here," she said, setting the textbook aside and smiling weakly.

"What are you guys doing here?" the blond inquired.

"What are you, the park police?" Alya demanded. "Can't we take a walk in the park without being interrogated?"

"Uh, sorry. Why are you wearing each other's clothes though?"

"Why are you wearing that scarf?" she countered.

"What, this?" he lifted the thin, salmon fabric of the scarf. "I have to wear it. I'm a model."

"And, what, the scarf Marinette made for you isn't good enough to model?!"

"Marinette made me a scarf?"

"O-okay, I think that's enough chitchat," Nino interrupted. "Alya and I were just leaving."

"Oh, okay. See you guys later," he called as Nino dragged his girlfriend away by the wrist.

Once they were a safe enough distance away, Nino rounded on her. "That's enough coffee for you."

\--

For a good part of the night, Adrien sat upright in bed, attempting to sort out the thoughts in his mind. The moonlight shone in through the window and casted shadows across the room. His faithful companion rested fitfully at his side, muttering about camembert. Everything was as it should be, at least, externally.

Internally, the hero was fighting one of his hardest battles yet. He was trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past few days, but every time he thought he was getting somewhere, his mind would go blank.

First, there was Marinette. She'd been acting weird _\--weirder_ \--ever since the Scribbler. Then, Ladybug. She, too, had acted strange for the brief time he'd seen her during the battle. She kept looking at her hand, or rather, something _in_ her hand... That bothered him. And in the video Alya had shown him of the fight, she'd come from down an alleyway--the exact place he'd come from. Which meant that she must've passed Marinette on her way there.

He was unsure of what this meant, but one thing was certain: Marinette hadn't said anything about seeing Ladybug when he visited her that night. Moreover, she seemed to be almost _angry_ at his lady. Something wasn't adding up, and yet he got the feeling that it was all connected somehow.

 _What does it matter?_ part of him thought. He'd made the mistake of acting on his suspicions earlier, following Marinette after she abruptly excused herself to the bathroom and trying to listen in. He wasn't even sure why he did it, but it didn't matter, because he _definitely_ heard her talking to someone. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but he was sure he hadn't imagined it. He'd even risked entering the forbidden restroom after she'd left, and sure enough, there was no one inside--at least, until a middle-aged woman came in and politely, but firmly, asked him to leave.

The working theory: Marinette was in contact with Ladybug, and she'd excused herself to call her and notify her about the festival.

Okay, maybe it was a _little_ far-fetched.

When he'd mentioned all this to Plagg, the sprite advised him to "stop being such a wimp and move on," and despite every fiber of his being telling him to drop kick the little pest, Adrien knew that he was probably right. He knew he tended to overanalyze things, especially when they had to do with Ladybug. It wasn't any of his business, really, so he probably _should have_ dropped it.

But then he had to go and ask Marinette on a date, of all things. He told himself that it was just to make it up to her, and even that he wanted to get to know her, but the reality of it was that he wanted to spy on her. Which made him feel even worse, in retrospect.

To make it up to her, though, he'd pulled out all the stops to think of a date she'd really like, and when he finally came up with something, he'd asked her--without even checking with his father if it was okay.

Oh well.

The good news was that it was going to be epic, and one way or another, he was going to solve this mystery--no matter how many dates he had to take Marinette on to make up for it.

 **Boy, howdy, I'd jus' like ta 'pologize ta anyone I mighta offended with my phony accentin' and whatnot. That was right indecent of me.**

 **I'm going to hell.**


	8. 8

**Hello and good morning (it's morning for me, anyway)! If I sound overly enthusiastic, it's because caffeine is fucking amazing (but only if it comes from energy drinks). This is a little late, mainly because I've been looking for a job for-fucking-ever, but unfortunately, "writing cheesy fanfiction" doesn't look very good on a resume... so yeah. Still poor as hell.**

 **Also, I've been working on getting my other fanfic off the ground, which you all should read. Seriously, please read it. I promise it'll be good. I mean, clearly, you all enjoy my writing (?), so it can't be _that_ bad.**

 **...I am not beyond begging.**

Marinette counted down the days until Saturday, and when it arrived, counted down the hours until three.

She must've planned twenty different outfits since he'd invited her, but none of them seemed right. In the end, she ended up going with her lucky red dress, which was modest and understated, but practical. (And the best part: it had pockets!) With that, she'd paired a black clutch and flats (she could only imagine the disastrous effect heels would have on her already-clumsy feet). She didn't have the confidence to change her hair _too_ much, so she settled with drawing it back into a single ponytail instead of two, and kept her makeup simple and light.

Her mother swore that she looked perfect, but Marinette couldn't help self-consciously adjusting her bangs as Adrien's limousine pulled up in front of the bakery. Adrien emerged, wearing a black tuxedo that was probably worth more than her dad's car, by the looks of it. She blushed, suddenly feeling drastically underdressed, but Adrien didn't seem to notice.

"You look lovely, Marinette," Adrien said, smiling in an odd way as he looked her up and down. "Red is... your color."

"T-thanks," Marinette managed to stutter out, blushing even brighter red. She waited for him to say something more, but he just stood, staring at her. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Um, are we going to go...?"

Adrien blinked, blushing suddenly and looking away. "Yes. That's... right."

He held the door open for her and she climbed in clumsily. As the door closed and she waited for Adrien to rejoin her, she patted her clutch reassuringly. Within, she knew Tikki was probably sighing at the awkward exchange between the two friends, but it was still nice to know that she wasn't alone.

As the car pulled away from the bakery, Marinette sat in an uncomfortable silence. Next to her, Adrien was staring thoughtfully at the ground, eyebrows drawn together. _Oh, jeez_ , Marinette thought dreadfully, _I'm boring him. God, what do I say?! What would Ladybug do?_ She was about to ask him about the test they'd taken the previous day, but luckily, was spared the awkwardness.

"You wouldn't happen to have a sister, would you?"

...Scratch that.

Marinette resisted the urge to cringe. "Um, _w_ _hy?_ "

"No reason. Do you?"

 _What kind of question is that?_ "No. No, I'm afraid I'm fresh out of sisters at the moment," she said, narrowing her eyes. _He's probably wondering if I have a prettier sister, or a more graceful sister. Or maybe he's into older girls_ , she thought gloomily.

If Adrien wasn't such an oblivious dork, he probably would have sensed her jealousy and kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately, he _is_ an oblivious dork. "Are you sure? Not, like, a cousin or something? Anyone who _looks_ like you, but doesn't _act_ like you?"

"I have a mother, if you'd prefer," she retorted, but inside, she felt like she was being stabbed in the heart.

"No, that wouldn't work..."

Marinette mentally scoffed, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. _Is this a nightmare?_ She was contemplating pinching herself just in case, but the car slowed to a stop before she could, and Adrien got out. Still huffing angrily, Marinette opened her own door. As she walked ahead of Adrien toward the building, she was too busy thinking to even look up. _Just who does he think he is? Just because he's rich and hot and smart, he thinks he can just have his pick of the litter?_

She walked through the open doors, stomach starting to ache from anxiety. It wasnt until she felt Adrien tap her on the shoulder that she actually looked around and realized where she was.

 _Oh, good. This is just_ perfect.

She clutched her arms to her her chest, turning to look at Adrien. "Why are we in Chloe's hotel?" she asked dreadfully.

Adrien smiled, as if everything was okay. "You'll see. Come on."

He grabbed her hand and led her into the elevator, and Marinette found herself turning red at the contact despite her frazzled nerves. _This might not be so bad. Maybe Chloe won't be here... and maybe pigs can fly._

As the elevator closed, Adrien checked his watch. "We're a little late, but it'll probably be fine. Maybe."

Marinette nodded, trying not to focus on the fact that they were still holding hands. "What exactly are we late _for_?"

Adrien grinned. "I guess there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore. Every year, my father holds a gala in this hotel, and fashion designers and models from all around the world come--"

"--and watch the fashion show!" Marinette finished for him. "Oh my God, we're going to the yearly Gabriel Gala?!"

Adrien laughed and (unfortunately) released her hand. "I knew you'd like it."

" _Like it?_ This is amazing!" She gasped suddenly. "Oh, I must be _so_ underdressed!"

Adrien shrugged. "If I was allowed to, I'd be wearing a T-shirt and jeans right now. Normally, I hate these types of things; they always drag on for _hours._ But maybe with you it won't be so bad."

Before Marinette could stutter out a response, the elevator doors opened into a large banquet hall full of some of the most beautiful dresses she'd ever seen. There were sheer overlays, mermaid silhouettes, corset bodices, tiered skirts, and V-necks so deep, Marinette blushed at the sight of them. Glancing around, she saw multiple familiar designers and models, and even recognized a few of the dresses from her gazillion fashion magazines. Being in a room with so much talent and beauty should have intimidated her, but she actually felt much more at home. After all, why would anyone care what _she_ was wearing with so much else to look at?

She grasped Adrien's arm excitedly, shaking him a _bit_ harder than she meant to. "Adrien, look! Look at her dress--no, wait, look at _that_ one! Oh, I should have brought my sketchbook!"

As Marinette pointed out the various dresses in the crowd, Adrien grinned from ear to ear. _I should bring her to all these events,_ he thought happily. Watching how excited she was about the gala was almost enough to sooze his nerves, at least until he made eye contact with his father across the room. He watched as Gabriel's eyes shifted to Marinette, who was still clinging to his arm. _Here it comes,_ Adrien thought as Gabriel started toward the couple.

"--absolutely gorgeous, but it must be _so_ itchy--"

"Marinette," he said, putting an hand on her back to still her. "My father, he--"

"Adrien," Gabriel greeted coldly as he approached. "You didn't tell me you were bringing a guest. Or that you'd be thirty minutes late."

Adrien sighed. "You remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She designed the winning bowler hat for the competition a few months ago?"

"Ah, yes. It's good to finally meet you in person, Miss Dupain-Cheng." He smiled at her, but it was lacking sincerity or warmth.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Agreste," Marinette managed (she wasn't about to tell him that they'd already met, both as herself and as Ladybug). "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize--"

"Oh, I know, Miss Dupain-Cheng. My son is constantly forgetting to mention things like this to me," Gabriel said pleasantly. "He can be quite absentminded at times."

"I'm right here," Adrien said with annoyance.

Gabriel looked at his son coldly. "I'm aware." He smiled at Marinette again. "You'll have to excuse my son. Events such as this one tend to put him on edge. But may I say that you look lovely, my dear."

"Thank you, Mr. Agreste. To be honest, I feel a bit out of place--"

"Nonsense," he said dismissively. "Minimalism is big right now, and besides, you're a designer, not a model. Now, I don't mean to be curt, but if you'll excuse me, I have a gala to host."

With that, he disappeared back into the crowd, leaving Marinette confused and Adrien frustrated.

"I'm sorry about him," the boy lamented.

Marinette shrugged, frowning. "Didn't you ask your father before inviting me?"

He shook his head. "I forgot, actually. I was... distracted. But, hey, that went pretty well, as far as I'm concerned. He likes you, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, it's hard to tell with him. He definitely seems to like you more than--"

" _Adrikins!_ "

Marinette recoiled from the sound, instantly wishing she could disappear. "Is it too late to hide?" she asked Adrien under her breath.

"Afraid so."

"Adrikins!" Chloe cooed as she emerged from the crowd, wearing a glaringly yellow dress and gaudy makeup (even more than usual). "I'm so glad you made--ugh. What is _it_ doing here?"

"Hello, Chloe," Marinette greeted begrudgingly.

"Yeah, hi, whatever. Adrien, what is _she_ doing here? And _why_ is she touching you?"

Adrien cleared his throat. "Um, Chloe," he said gently, "Marinette is my... date... thing. I know you and I usually end up 'together' but--"

Chloe laughed obnoxiously, putting a hand on her hip. "You're joking, _right?_ _Her?_ " She laughed again, but it sounded more forced and almost _painful_. " _Surely_ you're joking."

Adrien frowned. "No, I'm not. Marinette is my date."

"Are you sure she didn't just wander in off the streets? I mean, look at what she's _wearing._ "

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Coming from _you_."

"Listen, Chloe, this might be hard to hear, but I never asked to be paired up with you. In fact... I actually kinda _hate_ being paired with you," Adrien stated forcibly. "I have a hard enough time getting through these things without you constantly on my back and pushing me around. It gets old, Chlo. I'm sick of you pretending I'm your property. I'm your _friend_ , _not_ your boyfriend. Get it?"

Chloe gawked at him. "But I--"

"I'm not done. For the record, Marinette and I are not dating either, but that shouldn't matter. As my _friend_ , you should be supportive of me, no matter who I choose to be in _any_ kind of relationship with."

Chloe's lips curled into a snarl, but Marinette wasn't fooled. She could see the hurt in her eyes. "But... You--!"

"Unless you're going to apologize to me or Marinette, I don't want to hear it. Come on," he said, tugging his date, who was in just as much shock as Chloe, toward the buffet table.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Marinette said, "Adrien, that was... Um, wow."

"I'm sorry," he said remorsefully, crossing his arms. "I didn't mean to lose my temper in front of you like that. It's just... Chloe is just like my father. They think that just because we're richer, we're worth more."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Adrien? That _suit_ is worth more than me."

"That's not what I mean. I just... I'm sick of being around people who don't know what they have when they have it."

The girl nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."

Adrien smiled sincerely. "I knew you would. You're so... understanding."

Marinette laughed. "For lack of a better word."

"Shut up," Adrien chuckled. He paused. "So, what do you think of this festival coming up?"

She shrugged. _I think it's gonna be a disaster._ "It sounds fun," she said instead.

Adrien smirked. "Yeah, you must be pretty excited, what with your _boyfriend_ being the main attraction."

 _Boyfriend? Does he mean... himself? Oh, wait._ She rolled her eyes. "I told you, I don't like Chat in that way."

"Calm down, I was joking. _Although_... Alya _did_ show me that video of you saving him. Maybe you two are closer than you're letting on?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"You saw that, huh?" She laughed nervously. "I wouldn't really call it 'saving,' I was just... doing my part, ya know? I mean, Chat and I aren't exactly friends, but--"

"Wait, what do you mean? We're not--you're not friends?!"

She smoothed her skirt, smiling slightly as she thought of her kitten. Of course they were friends; just not as Marinette. "We're more like... acquaintances."

Adrien bobbed his head. "Like, _close_ acquaintances?"

She snorted. "Sure, we'll go with that."

Adrien wilted, but she didn't notice. "What about Ladybug?" he asked after a moment. "What do you think of her?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "She's cool, I guess."

"You _guess_? Ladybug is amazing! _Far_ better than Chat Noir."

She smiled, her face heating slightly. "True, but..."

Adrien cocked his head. "So you _do_ like her then?"

"O-of course I do. I just think Chat deserves recognition, too. I mean, where would she be without him? He's her other half, what makes her whole."

"Huh." He gave her an odd look before turning his attention to the stage at the far end of the room, where people were starting to gather for the show. "It looks like it's about to start. You ready?"

She grinned determinedly. "I was born ready!"

\--

As the gala came to a close, Adrien watched thoughtfully as Marinette spoke with some designer that he was supposed to know the name of, but didn't. Despite the fact that he'd discovered absolutely nothing of use, he couldn't help the satisfied feeling in his heart, watching her be so at ease with herself, so happy. It was more gratifying than he'd like to admit, knowing that he was the cause of the smile on her face.

It wasn't just that, either. She'd not only made the gala tolerable, but actually _fun_. He hadn't enjoyed any kind of formal event since his mother had disappeared, but he'd enjoyed this one. It made him realize how alike they were, Marinette and his mother. They had that same light in their eyes, that same zest for life. It was a side of her he'd never really seen before, and he found himself enjoying it thoroughly.

Of course, there was still that _thing_ at the back of his mind, the one he'd been trying to forget since he saw her in the red dress outside the bakery. Seeing her wearing that exact shade of crimson gave him the idea that she might even be _related_ to Ladybug. It would make sense, after all, the way she didn't seem to idolize the heroine. But for whatever reason, the idea that Marinette and Ladybug could be cousins or something actually made him uncomfortable, and if possible, more guilty than before.

"Adrien!" Marinette grinned as she rejoined him, a bounce in her step. She held out a slip of paper for him to see. "That model over there just gave me his number, in case I ever need someone to help me with designs!"

Adrien narrowed his eyes, looking over her shoulder at the boy in question, a brown-haired, blue-eyed pretty boy he recognized as Julian Thomas. "Who, Julian? Nah, you don't want _him_."

"What? Why not?"

 _Because he's a total player and would crush your soul for sport._ "He's, uh... He's had work done." He snatched the paper from her hand, tearing it up before she could protest. "Besides, you already have a model friend. Me."

"Wha--hey!"

"Here, come with me. I'll set you up." He led her toward another model, and she followed reluctantly. "Hey, Missy. This is Marinette."

Missy Poirier looked up from her phone. She was possibly the most beautiful human being Marinette had ever seen, with dark, smooth skin, high cheekbones, and thick, curly hair. She had a soft look about her, but her dress was straight-up badass. It was pure white and hugged her figure tightly, revealing her midsection and going down to her mid-thighs. Standing next to her made Marinette feel like a troll, but Adrien didn't seem to even notice her beauty.

"Hello," the model said with polite indifference, her thick accent making her sound Australian, maybe.

"Marinette is an aspiring designer, and I was wondering if you might consider modeling for her sometime."

"Well, that depends how much she's paying."

Marinette cringed. "I don't, uh--"

"Let me take care of that part," said Adrien. "What do you say? Can I give her your number?"

Missy seemed to consider, looking between the couple. "Well, as long as I'm getting paid... Sure. It was nice to meet you, Marinette...?"

"Dupain-Cheng," she finished. "Nice to meet you, too."

Missy looked back down at her phone, signaling the end of the conversation, and the two heroes pardoned themselves.

"What was that about?" Marinette demanded.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I just figured... I can come over and model for you whenever you want, but you'll probably need a girl, too."

"But I don't have any money!"

"I'll pay for it."

"I--I don't want you to pay for me!"

Adrien adjusted the lapels of his jacket. "It's not that big of a deal." _Besides, it's worth it not to see your heart break over someone like_ Julian. "We should probably get going."

"Wait a minute, Chat--"

"No, princess, I won't--"

They both froze.

"I mean..."

"What I meant to say..."

"Adrien!"

"Marinette... is what I meant to say."

"I just said Chat because--"

"I was just thinking of princesses, because... you look so pretty and--"

"See, what happened was... Are those cupcakes? I have to go... over there... to check out those cupcakes!"

"Yeah, and I have to..." He cleared his throat. "I have to get water for my... yeah."

"Because I live in a bakery," Marinette explained awkwardly. "So I have to look at cupcakes."

"And I have to save my voice for... you know, modeling. So I'll be right back."

"Yep. Yep. Okay."

They stared at each other for a moment longer before turning in opposite directions and walking quickly away.

 _That was a close one,_ they both thought simultaneously.

 **Aw, jealous Adrien. So cute.**

 **Seriously, go read it.**


	9. 9

**Cue the long sigh...**

 **Guess I should probably write this while I still have the time. Soon I'll be back to school, learning things that I'll never use and pretending to like people that I hate. Oh joy.**

 **Y'all love my complaining, dontcha?**

The minute Marinette got home, she kicked off her shoes, let her hair down, and collapsed in her bed without even greeting her parents. Tikki emerged from the black clutch, blinking down at her chosen.

"Oh, Tikki," Marinette sighed, "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life."

The sprite smiled kindly. "It sounded like you had a good time, Marinette, but why are you so down?"

"I'm not down, just... tired. Everything was just so... so emotionally exhausting. I mean, it was fun, obviously, but..."

Tikki patted Marinette on the back with her tiny hand reassuringly. "Is this about how you called Adrien Chat by accident?"

The girl shrugged. "I guess, a little. I mean, what if he thinks I was thinking about Chat when I was with him? What if he thinks I really _am_ in love with Chat?"

Tikki hesitated. "Are you?"

"No!"

"But then why did you say his name, Marinette?"

"I... I don't know. I didn't mean to, it just slipped out." She groaned, rolling out of bed to pace the floor. "I mean, he keeps bringing up Chat whenever I'm around him, plus they _do_ look a bit alike. Maybe I just mixed them up in my head. Yeah, that must be it."

Tikki raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, Marinette."

"Plus, you know, we were just having fun, like Chat and I always do. It just... it felt like Chat and me."

The sprite resisted the urge to shake her head incredulously. "You don't say."

"This is all Chat's fault. I mean, at least before, he was just annoying to me as Ladybug. But now he's actually ruining my relationship with Adrien! Oh, Adrien must think I'm a terrible person!"

"Did you miss the part where Adrien called you princess, or...?"

"That's it!" said the heroine, oblivious to her Kwami, who was sighing. "I've just got to get him out of my head! I'll get Adrien out of my head, and then Chat and I will be free to continue dating."

" _Chat_. You need to get _Chat_ out of your head."

"That's what I said." Marinette frowned determinedly. "That's what I'll do! From now on, no more contact with Chat as Marinette!"

 _Knock knock._

Tikki sighed. "There goes that plan."

"Hide, Tikki. I'll get rid of him."

Marinette climbed up and looked through the balcony door, seeing Chat blinking down at her from the other side. He grinned as she came into view and tapped his knuckles on the glass. The girl rolled her eyes before opening the door and climbing onto the balcony to stand next to Chat, despite the rain that had begun to fall. The black-clad hero tried to help her up, but she ignored his outstretched hand and pulled herself up.

"Can I help you?" she asked dryly, crossing her arms and bristling from the cold.

Chat cocked an eyebrow, taken aback. "I just, uh... What's with the fancy getup?"

"I..." She cleared her throat. "I just got back from a date, not that it's any of your business."

The boy smiled slowly, something odd in his eyes, but it wasn't jealousy. "Oh yeah? He hot?"

"Um..." She blushed, clenching her fists at her sides. "For your information, he's the most attractive person I've ever met. And he's smart, and kind, and... Why do you have that look on your face?"

Chat masked his beaming expression, regaining his composure. He smirked, sauntering to the edge of the balcony and leaning against it as he scrutinized her. "So... how did the date go? Everything just how you dreamed it would be?"

"I didn't--It went fine."

" _Just_ fine?"

" _Great_ , actually." She pushed a hand through her wet hair, glaring at the boy. Why did he look so smug? "He took me to this amazing party, and... and..."

Chat stepped closer to the girl. "And...?"

"And... it was the perfect date." _Almost, anyway._ She rolled her eyes as he stepped ever closer. "And I wasn't thinking about you." _Crap._

"Well, of course not," he said knowingly, his mouth quirking into a smirk. "And while you were on this date--not thinking about me, mind you--did you and this guy happen to share a kiss?"

Marinette's face burned. They hadn't, unfortunately, but she wasn't about to tell that to _Chat_. "So what if we did? Does that make you... jealous?"

Chat's ears seemed to flatten slightly, but he was smiling. "Maybe, maybe not. That depends."

"On?" she prompted hesitantly.

He chuckled quietly. "On this."

He reached up to cup her chin, and Marinette froze. Her mind was racing, but she couldn't pull away. As Chat leaned closer until their noses were touching, she found herself involuntarily closing her eyes, and then...

He kissed her.

It was short and soft, but it was like electricity; enough to send Marinette's mind reeling. The rain was icy against her bare arms, but warmth radiated off his body. He pulled away too quickly, she couldn't help thinking. She opened her eyes and saw Chat frowning down at her, his lips parted slightly. He stepped back, looking disturbed. His face reddened and he turned away.

"Uh..." The blue-haired girl racked her brain for something to say, not sure whether to be angry that he kissed her, or offended that he didn't seem to enjoy it. "You... me kissed. Er, kissed you me. You missed key?!" She groaned, facepalming. "Why did you kiss me?!"

"I-I don't know, I didn't... Um, I should go. I have to go." He glanced back at her, hesitating. He grimaced. "Yep, time to go."

"Wait, I--"

He drew his staff and jumped down from the balcony, disappearing before she could say another word.

She sighed and wiped her face, realizing for the first time that she was soaking wet. She lowered herself into her room, slipping out of her dress on her way down the stairs. Tikki appeared from her hiding place, blinking curiously.

"What did he want?"

Marinette shook her head. "I... have no idea."

\--

Adrien lowered his head onto the desk, groaning. "Oh, God..."

Plagg rolled his eyes, taking a bite out of his wheel of camembert. "I don't see what the big deal is," he said through a mouth full of cheese. "So you kissed her. Who cares?"

" _I_ do. You know, I can't help but think you did this to me," Adrien mumbled. "I don't know how, but you did this to me."

"What did _I_ do? _You're_ the one who runs the lips, remember?"

Adrien turned his head to glare at the sprite. "Yes, but _Adrien_ would've never done that. _Adrien_ was just fine the way things were. _Chat_ , on the other hand..."

"Yeah, but it was _Adrien_ who decided to go over there in the first place." He chomped on his cheese, moaning in ecstasy. "Don't try to pin this on me, Casanova. You're the one pining after two girls at once."

"I am not pining after Marinette! She's just a friend!"

"A friend who you kissed, which, by the way, is farther than you and Ladybug ever got." The deity belched, sighing happily. "Face it, kid, you ruined everything. Time to cut your losses and move on."

"Plagg!" Adrien threw a wad of paper at him, which Plagg easily dodged. "You're not helping!"

"What do you want me to say? You went over there to make sure your little slip up didn't reveal your identity to the weird girl, and you ended up kissing her. If she didn't know it was you before, she probably does now. And seeing as how she may or may not be related to the _other_ girl you're in love with, I'd say, at this point... you're an asshole."

"Watch your mouth, Plagg." Adrien hit his head against the table, groaning again. "I don't even know what happened. I just... kissed her. It just felt _right_ , you know? It was just like when we met, only... different. After the date, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I'll admit, I went there for more than to make sure she didn't figure out my identity. But I never meant to kiss her!"

"Well, you did." Plagg shrugged. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I... I don't know. I feel so guilty, like I'm cheating on Ladybug or something. And now Marinette probably thinks Chat is a jerk, and... I just don't know how this happened."

Plagg sighed dramatically. "I don't know _or_ care."

" _Thanks_."

"Any time. Now, if you need anything, figure it out on your own, because I'm about to go into a food coma I will hopefully never come out of."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Good night, Plagg."

 **Ugghhghhhgghgghhh.**

 **Sleep time, bitches.**


	10. 10

**Woooooow**

 **It's been way too long. In my defense though, I started school recently, and a majority of my classes are AP, so... yeah. My dumbass is struggling enough as it is.**

 **ENJOY!!!**

Marinette had never been particularly fond of Mondays, but she wouldn't say she hated them--not usually, anyway.

"What do you mean, 'fine'?!" Alya demanded in a hushed tone.

Marinette breathed a sigh that she hoped Alya wouldn't notice. "Just what I said. The date went fine."

Marinette ignored her friend's incredulous expression and focused her attention on Miss Bustier, trying and failing to pay attention to the lesson. It was the final review before the finals, and as much as she needed to absorb all the information she could, her mind wouldn't quiet, and neither would Alya.

"Did something happen?"

The blue-haired girl scoffed quietly. _Yeah, Chat happened._ "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."

"That's what you said yesterday."

"Marinette! Alya!"

"Sorry, Miss Bustier," the girls said in chorus.

Meanwhile, in the row in front of them, Adrien was having some troubles of his own. How could he focus on the lesson with _her_ sitting right behind him? All he could think of was her lips against his, and it killed him knowing that she wasn't even aware that they'd shared a kiss.

He couldn't help imagining what it would be like to reveal his identity to Marinette. He pictured her getting all embarrassed and blushing, and maybe stuttering something cute and innocent. Of course, there was the possibility that she'd get mad... but hey, he was allowed to imagine it however he liked.

But then again, if Ladybug found out he'd revealed his identity to a civilian, she'd either be pissed, or... maybe, just _maybe_ , a little jealous? As much as the thought gave him butterflies, he was smart enough to know that the former was most likely.

"Okay, turn to page 246, where you'll see..."

While Miss Bustier blathered on about... something, Adrien doodled on his notes, drawing crappy little cats and misshapen ladybugs. The only thing that could distract him from the girl behind him were thoughts of his lady. She was everything Marinette wasn't; confident, brave, level-headed, graceful, and bold. Yet, he found himself thinking, they were more alike than they were different.

To his left, Nino nudged him discreetly. "Dude," he whispered, "I think they're talking about you."

"Who?"

He tilted his head in Marinette's direction, and Adrien felt his cheeks heat up. As much as he wanted to know what they were saying about him... No. He shouldn't listen in. Although, if they didn't want to be overheard, they probably shouldn't talk about him with him sitting right in front of them.

"--sure he didn't mean it that way, girl," said Alya. "This is _Adrien_ we're talking about, here."

"Well, that's what it sounded like. Anyway, it's not that big of a deal. We ended up having a wonderful time... for the most part."

"Hm. Well, I'm sorry it didn't go as well as you hoped, girl. There's always next ti--"

A shrill, high-pitched sound echoed through the school, forcing everyone inside to cover their ears. The sound rang out for several seconds before ceasing, and instantaneously, the whole collège went silent. Every single person inside knew exactly what was happening, and yet all they could do was brace themselves for impact.

Every single person, that is, but two.

Adrien and Marinette jumped out of their seats simultaneously, before freezing as they noticed each other.

"Stay put. I'll be right back--"

"I'll go see what that is--"

They both frowned.

"No, you should stay here--"

"I can't let you leave by your self--"

"Marinette, I should be the one to--"

"Trust me, it's better if I do it--"

"I'm not letting you go out there!"

"Please, I have to protect you!"

"ARE YOU BOTH INSANE?" Miss Bustier shouted, taking them both by surprise. "Neither of you are going anywhere on my watch!"

Marinette glanced around the room, noticing for the first time that their peers were staring at them like they were crazy. Alya yanked her down by her arm, giving her a look like, _No way I'm letting you go out there alone._

Adrien, meanwhile, was realizing how suspicious he must look for wanting to walk out into the middle of an Akuma fight by himself. If he left now, they'd most certainly be able to piece together that he was Chat Noir. He sat back down hesitantly, vowing silently to make it up to Ladybug for his absence.

Miss Bustier went to the door, locking it and turning the lights off. "Everyone, get down," she whispered urgently.

Her students complied, crouching beneath their desks. The class, for the most part, was fairly calm; Akuma attacks were a daily occurrence, and it wasn't as if they didn't have two superheroes to take care of the incoming threat. Of course, if they knew that _both_ of said superheroes were trapped in the room with them... well, they might be a bit more concerned.

Adrien looked at Nino, who was spacing out with his headphones on, looking surprisingly tranquil, if not bored. The blond shifted nervously, his eyes scanning his bag next to him. His heartbeat quickened as he saw something moving around inside. He glimpsed Nino nodding his head to an unheard beat before peeking into his bag at a very distressed-looking Plagg.

"You need to get out of here!" the deity hissed, his florescent green eyes wide.

"What? Why?" Adrien dared to whisper.

"You just need to transform!"

"But Ladybug--"

"She's not out there!"

" _What?!_ "

Adrien started to panic, glancing around. When his eyes met Nino's, he noticed with a start that his friend was staring at him suspiciously, a realization second only to the fact that Ladybug might be in danger. That _Plag_ g, who never took anything seriously, was concerned, only troubled him further. He had no choice; he sprung out of his hiding place and ran out the door.

\--

"Wait! Adrien!" Miss Bustier protested, but it was too late.

Marinette stared at the door in shock. He just... ran out. _Oh, no, Adrien!_ _What the heck is he doing?! Is he trying to get himself killed?_

Miss Bustier rushed to the door, glancing back at her students with a look of panic. "No one is to leave this room, understood? I'll be right back."

And with that, Miss Bustier was gone too, leaving the door locked behind her. Perhaps this should've calmed Marinette's nerves, but in truth, it made her feel far worse. She couldn't leave it up to Chat to save both Adrien _and_ Miss Bustier, especially when he had the Akuma to worry about, too. Her panicked gaze found Alya, who was already glaring at her, as if she already knew what Marinette was going to do.

But hell if that was going to stop her.

The heroine emerged from beneath her desk, but her friend caught her arm.

"She told us to stay here, Marinette," Alya said firmly, her tone deadly serious.

"Someone has to make sure they're okay," Marinette said equally firmly.

"That's what Ladybug and Chat Noir are for!"

Marinette yanked her arm away, her glare determined and unwavering. "Adrien is in trouble."

"And here comes Superklutz to the rescue," Chloe commented dryly from her desk.

"Yay! Go, Marinette!" said Rose, perhaps a bit too cheerfully.

"Try not to die," said Alix.

Marinette ignored them, going to the door and taking one last look at Alya's frown before racing out into the hall.

At first look, there didn't seem to be anything wrong; the halls were empty and quiet. There was no Adrien in sight, or Miss Bustier for that matter. Marinette listened intently for a signs of trouble, but she heard nothing. Everything seemed normal.

"Tikki," the girl said, her voice low. "I think it's safe to transform."

"Cameras, Marinette," Tikki said from within her bag.

"Oh, right. The bathroom--"

 _Screeeeech!_

The sound echoed down the halls, causing Marinette to grimace and cover her ears before running in the direction it came from.

She found Miss Bustier sitting in a fetal position on the floor of the cafeteria, staring at the ground with a blank look on her face and her hands over her ears. Marinette kneeled next to her, putting a light hand on her shoulder, but Miss Bustier didn't stir.

The heroine scanned her surroundings for a moment before abandoning Miss Bustier to search for Adrien--she didn't seem like she'd be going anywhere any time soon anyway. She left the cafeteria through the nearest hall, walking quickly but calmly. _Chat is probably here by now. Hopefully Adrien is with--_ _OOF!_

Marinette fell backward, having slammed into someone who'd burst out of the door next to her. Before she could look up, however, she was scooped up into the arms of--

"Chat?"

"No time!"

He raced back toward the cafeteria with a blushing Marinette in his arms, carrying her bridal style. Before she could spend too long remembering ( _not_ reliving) their last encounter, she heard a loud crash from behind them.

"Cover my ears!" Chat commanded urgently.

In any other situation, she may have jokingly asked _which_ ears, but she could tell by his tone that he wasn't in the mood for jokes, so she did as he asked. And just seconds later, she discovered why.

When she heard the scream--the same scream that she'd heard in the classroom, only a hundred times louder--she was filled with a fear so intense, she lost all consciousness. As it consumed her mind, everything else faded away.

\--

"Marinette?"

"Marinette, listen to me. You're safe. You're with me. It's not real," came a voice from what sounded like another dimension.

 _That voice... Adrien?_ Marinette felt like a fly stuck in syrup; she could feel something tugging her back into the sleep-like state, but she clawed her way to consciousness through sheer willpower. When her vision returned, she saw that she was sitting in an empty classroom, with Chat Noir staring down at her with concern. But the instant she blinked, his face flooded with relief, and she found herself pulled into a bear hug--and suddenly her heart was racing for a _different_ reason.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Chat said in a soft voice that was unlike him. He pulled back from the hug to look at her with warm eyes. "For a second, I didn't know if you were going to wake up."

"Uh--I mean, err--"

He chuckled, but then his face turned serious. "I have to go now. You should be safe in here, just don't leave again, you idiot." He frowned. "You're not an idiot. I didn't mean--never mind. Just stay."

He started to turn away, before Marinette said, "Wait, Chat! My friend Adrien, he--"

"Adrien is safe," he reassured her gently. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

She nodded, smiling nervously. He gave her one last wink and, with that, slipped out into the battlefield.

"Marinette!" Tikki appeared before her the instant the door was shut and tackled her in a hug. "Oh, I was so worried! I'm so sorry I couldn't help you!"

"What do you mean?" Marinette laughed, holding her Kwami with one hand.

Tikki's eyes widened, and she looked at her holder with disbelief. "Marinette, didn't you feel that?"

"Er, I guess... I felt afraid."

"Marinette, you were screaming." The sprite's blue eyes turned solemn. "If Chat weren't here, I don't know what I would have done."

"Oh..." She shook her head, ignoring the shivers that ran up her spine. "How long was I out?"

"Well, it took Chat a while to lose Phantom, plus even longer to get you to calm down, so I'd say at least an hour."

"An _hour?!_ " Marinette jumped to her feet. "Oh, no, no, no! Miss Bustier has been sitting in the cafeteria for an hour? The students have been stuck in their classrooms for an hour?! _Chat has been waiting for Ladybug for an hour?!_ "

"It's not as bad as--"

"Oh, he must be so mad at me! After I did this same exact thing last time?"

"He's not mad... yet. But you'd better have a good excuse for being gone."

Marinette nodded determinedly. "I'll figure something out. No time to waste. Tikki, spots on!"

 **Ooh, shit's boutta go down!**


	11. 11

**Rejoice, my people. Your queen has returned!**

 **Long story short, my phone broke. But it's summer and I have a new (albeit shitty) phone, so my only excuse from here until August for being absent will be the occasional bout of Depression (trademark). That, or I'm busy, dammit.**

 **I'll save my spiel for the end of the chapter, since I'm sure you're all sick of waiting. So without further ado, enjoy!**

You know how bad guys in movies always say you can "run, but you can't hide"? Yeah. Turns out there's some truth to that.

Chat wasn't sure how long he'd been running, exactly; all he knew was that his lungs were on fire and his legs felt like they were going to fall off, and that was _with_ the Miraculous' magic. Every time he dared to slow down, he heard that terrible scream over his shoulder, and before he knew why, he was running again. That was all he _could_ do--it was like a reflex.

The closer he was when it screamed, the stronger the feeling was, and the less he could control his reaction to it. If he stopped too long, the fear would overtake him. He'd seen the way Marinette froze up, screaming bloody murder all the while, and he'd felt it slightly when the akuma--whoever it was--managed to gain some ground. He decided to be grateful his involuntary reaction to that horrible sound was flight rather than fight; trying to take it down without Ladybug would be a mistake, to say the least.

Now, if he could only find her...

 _Screeeeeeeeeeech!_ He heard it again, just behind him, and immediately, his heart began pounding erratically. His mouth dried up, yet his bladder was suddenly ready to explode (and if he peed himself as Chat Noir, mark his words, that would be the end of his heroing days). His legs propelled him forward, and it was all he could do to steer them away from dead ends.

 _I can't run forever,_ the rational part of his brain was saying. _I need to find Ladybug and we need to form a plan._

One more time, he called her on his staff, and was surprised when she actually picked up.

"Ladybug!" he wheezed as her face appeared on the tiny screen. "I called you like a billion times; where are you?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm on my way to the collège right now. Can you meet me in the cafeteria?"

"Fine."

He hung up without another word, too tired to be concerned with pleasantries; plus, he needed to save his breath. Ladybug would understand, he hoped.

"He hung up on me!"

 _Was that...?_ Chat stopped dead in his tracks, the akuma temporarily forgotten, and walked quickly around the corner into the hall he'd heard the voice come from. Sure enough, there was his lady, staring down at her yoyo, looking offended. After a moment, she looked up, and they stood blinking at each other for a few precious seconds before simultaneously breaking into a sprint down the hall alongside each other.

"Where have you been?" he demanded breathlessly.

"I'm sorry!" she said again. "I was, uh...having...feminine issues."

"Do you think you can use Lucky Charm to get us some earplugs?" Chat asked, quickly changing the subject.

 _Wow, that actually worked,_ Ladybug thought. "I can give it a shot," she said as they stopped, and threw her yoyo up in the air. "Lucky charm!"

Tampons. It gave her tampons.

"Oh, uh..." Ladybug looked nervously between the box and Chat, who was suddenly very interested in the ceiling. "Right, um...Thanks."

"Please tell me you have a plan," Chat said, still staring at the ceiling. "I don't know how useful...sanitary products are going to be with this akuma."

"Well, I'm sorry, alright? I don't choose what I get," she snapped. "Otherwise, most of these would be a lot easier."

"Okay, okay." Chat put his hands up in surrender. " _Someone's_ \--"

She grabbed him by the ears (the cat ones, not the real ones) and gritted her teeth. "Don't. Say. It."

Chat laughed nervously, ducking away as she let go. "I-I was only joking, Milady."

A shrill scream filled the hall, and the two took off again, Chat taking the lead. The akuma was still a bit far behind them so the affects were subdued, but that didn't stop Ladybug's heart from beating out of her chest. She could feel her legs freezing up, but she pushed past the fear enough to keep up with Chat, at least until they found a safe place to regroup.

Inspiration striking suddenly, Ladybug grabbed Chat's wrist and led him in a beeline to--sigh--the girl's bathroom, locking the door behind them.

"Um, okay." Chat stared at his shoes. "This is a new level of uncomfortable."

"Stop whining. I have a plan."

Ladybug pushed a reluctant Chat toward one of those automatic hand dryers, the kind that are obnoxiously loud and only really get used if they're out of paper towels. "Put your hands under here," she said, "and don't let it shut off."

Chat complied, seeming grateful for the distraction. Meanwhile, Ladybug opened the box of tampons and took out four, removing the outer packaging until only the cotton-y part was left. She held two out for Chat, who took a moment to realize what she was doing. When he did, he shook his head vehemently.

"THEY'RE FOR YOUR EARS," Ladybug shouted over the noise. "MAKESHIFT EARPLUGS."

"UM, HOW ABOUT NOT?"

"DON'T BE A BABY."

Chat reluctantly put them in. Ladybug had to stifle her laughter as he glared daggers at her.

"YOU, TOO."

The heroine nodded, cringing at she stuffed the tampons in a place she was _pretty_ sure they were not meant to go. She tolerated Chat's snickering, mostly because she couldn't hear it. Knowing full well that she would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her like this, she led Chat out of the bathroom.

\--

Marco had a girly scream; that was just a fact. He'd come to accept it.

It didn't help that he was afraid of almost everything, which made scaring the crap out of him a popular activity in his class, where he was nicknamed "The Scream." So yeah. He'd been expecting this for a while.

The Scream was waiting outside the bathroom, per Hawkmoth's instructions, when the superhero duo emerged. Immediately, he released a guttural screech that _should_ have knocked them out cold, but by the looks on their faces, he could immediately tell it hadn't worked. After that, it was as simple as Chat Noir punching him in the face, Ladybug grabbing his worry stone out of his pocket, and Chat using Cataclysm on it.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The cheer echoed through the halls as everything, including Marco, returned to normal.

Marco blinked as all around him, doors began to open and relieved students and staff flooded out. "What...what happened?"

"MARCO!"

Elise, his best friend, appeared suddenly, tackling him to the ground. He cracked a grin as she hugged him tightly. She pulled away to smile at him, her round face just as flushed as his probably was.

"Marco, I'm so glad you're okay! We were all worried."

He laughed. "Really? You were?"

Chat Noir watched the two of them from afar, Ladybug having run off with only moments to spare, and felt a pang in his chest. He wondered if anyone had worried about _him_ after he ran off. More likely, he'd probably only made them suspicious about his identity and pissed Nino and Miss Bustier off.

He pushed a hand through his hair, ignoring the curious students gathered around him and scanning the crowd for someone, though he wasn't sure who. His gaze paused on a pair of blue eyes and pigtails, and stayed there for several seconds. He considered going over to her, but his ring beeped suddenly.

He glanced at his Miraculous, then back up at her. He gave her a smile and a salute, then disappeared down the hall toward the exit.

Marinette watched him go, clutching a hand to her chest. For a moment, before their eyes met, he'd looked so...crestfallen. Like he was waiting for something.

She didn't understand, but she never wanted him to look like that again.

 **Why tampons, you ask?**

 **I...have no goddamn clue. My mind is as much a mystery to you as it is to me. I just hope it was as hilarious to read as it was to write.**

 **Seriously, though. If this chapter offended you or made you uncomfortable in any way, I sincerely apologize _and_ advise that you grow a pair. This is the reality for most women. It's disgusting and hilarious and natural, like most things pertaining to the human body.**

 **Also, I feel like this is an issue that's not addressed enough on TV. Women on long space voyages, for example. Do they have an entire cargo bay full of unused tampons? Or is the human race advanced enough by that point to have created some sort of high-tech alternative? I suppose it would be pretty sad if we had achieved space travel but not made tampons obsolete...But then again, we as a species have never really had our priorities straight.**

 **Anyway, enough of the tampon talk. Season two is out (ish?), which I, personally, have been looking forward to for a long time, and so far, it's lived up to my expectations (which are decidedly low, but still). I'm excited to see what the rest of the season has in store, but I have some concerns. Luka's eyelashes, for example, or lack thereof. (Seriously. It's ruining his character for me a bit. All I can think about when I see him is "WHERE ARE YOUR EYELASHES SON???")**

 **In all seriousness, it's good to be back. Tell me what you guys think of season two, or not. Do what you like. Live your dreams. Pee into the wind.**

 **One more thing: I lost my plans for this fic when my phone broke, so I'm going to be winging this from here on out. Hopefully it won't be a _total_ train wreck.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	12. 12

**I realized after I published the last chapter that I kinda cheated you guys out of actual content. I mean, it takes me, what, half a year to update and then I spend half the time ranting about tampons? Plus it was pretty short to begin with, and looking back on it, the ending in particular felt rushed...**

 **SOOOOO to make it up to y'all, here's an early(ish), fluff-filled chapter, just for you! Enjoy!**

Marinette sat at the desk in her bedroom, tapping a pen against her lips as she thought. The latest akuma had left her deeply troubled, and she had several questions forming in her mind about the experience.

Number one: Where had Adrien gone? After running out of the classroom, he'd seemed to fall off the face of the planet, not reappearing until after she'd already returned to the classroom. The excuse he'd given Miss Bustier was that he'd had to pee and couldn't hold it until the akuma was defeated, so he locked himself in the bathroom. Marinette didn't buy it. And to make matters more confusing, Chat Noir had seemed strangely certain of his safety.

Two: Why had Chat paid such attention to her safety in particular? Surely he would have thought she'd return to normal when Ladybug used her powers to fix things. Of course, she never _would_ have if Chat hadn't woken her up, but _he_ didn't know that.

Three: Or did he? Was it by a stroke of luck that he'd thought to wake her, or did he somehow know it was necessary? He didn't seem all that surprised when he caught her in the hall after she'd _just_ said she was on her way to the collège. Then again, if he'd known Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same, he wouldn't have wondered why she (Ladybug) was so late. _Unless he was pretending so that I wouldn't be suspicious._

And finally: Why did Chat look so defeated after they'd beaten the akuma? Ladybug had immediately run into the nearest empty classroom to transform back, then sought out Miss Bustier to make sure she was alright. She'd found her teacher among the crowds of students and staff gathering in the cafeteria, where the akuma had been defeated just minutes before, and where Chat was still standing. She'd been taken aback by his solemn expression, but didn't have long to dwell on it before he'd disappeared, leaving her thoroughly confused and slightly concerned.

 _Why is it that whenever Chat is acting weird, Adrien acts weird too?_ Marinette wondered. _I swear, the only normal guy I know is Nino._

She sat up suddenly, mouth agape. _Nino! I bet he knows what's going on._ She checked the time on her phone. 9:45 pm. _He's probably asleep by now. I'll have to wait until school tomorrow._

She was about to turn in for the night herself when she heard a familiar tapping. _Oh jeez_. She looked down at her pajamas self-consciously. She wasn't exactly prepared for company, but as the tapping became more incessant, she decided it didn't really matter.

She climbed up the stairs to the skylight door, expecting to find Chat Noir grinning down at her through the glass.

"Is it Chat, Marinette?" Tikki asked, yawning from the desk where she'd been asleep just moments before.

"No..." Marinette frowned, wondering at her own disappointment. "It was just the rain."

She stared out through the glass a moment longer before grabbing an umbrella and climbing out, offering no explanation to Tikki before leaving. _It's not like I'm going anywhere._

Unfolding her umbrella and leaning against the railing, Marinette stared out at the night. She listened to the rain tapping against her umbrella and breathed a sigh. The wind bit at her skin, but she didn't mind it so much. She was beginning to feel a bit suffocated anyway.

She wondered, as she often did, what Adrien was doing right now. Probably sleeping. Still, it was comforting to know there was someone else out there. At the moment, she felt as if she were the only person in the world. It was a lonely feeling.

"Paw-don me, Miss."

Marinette jumped, whipping around to face him. "Chat Noir!"

The cat in question smiled at her, but it was lacking his usual exuberance. He was balancing on the railing in a crouch, his knees pulled against his chest, his tail-belt-thing swinging over the edge. He tilted his head to the side. "Didn't mean to startle mew."

Marinette exhaled, her empty hand moving over her heart. It was beating all too quickly, and she feared the reason wasn't just surprise. "No, it's fine, I..." She turned away, feeling embarrassed, though she couldn't discern why. "I just wasn't expecting you, that's all."

"Sorry." He was silent for a moment. "I know it's a bit indecent for me to be visiting so late, but..."

She turned back to face him. "Couldn't you sleep, Chat Noir?"

He grinned playfully. "Not without seeing my purr-incess."

She giggled. "Don't purr-crastinate, kitty. What are you really here for?"

Even though she'd asked him, she was still a bit disappointed when he seemed to sober up. "I wanted to...er, I wanted to ask you..." He looked away, his ears flattening a bit. "What were you doing outside of your classroom during the akuma attack?"

She blinked in surprise. "Um, well...I was in the bathroom when I heard the first scream, and I went to check it out."

He glared at her. "We both know that's not true."

Marinette glared right back. "We do?"

Chat seemed to lose momentum for a second. "I--I ran into Adrien Agreste, and he told me you tried to leave before he did." He frowned. "Stop dodging the question."

She hugged her arms to her chest, holding her umbrella close to her body. She knew she didn't _have_ to answer, but she did anyway. "I was worried...about my friend, Adrien. And my teacher," she added as an afterthought.

It wasn't a total lie; she really _had_ been worried.

Chat stared at her. She couldn't read his expression. "You were worried about m--about him?"

"O-of course." She hugged herself tighter, feeling self-conscious. "He's...special to me."

"Special how?"

She blushed, glaring at him. "Don't make fun of me."

He stepped down from the railing. "I'm not making fun of you; I really want to know."

"You _know_ how," she pouted. "Don't make me say it."

He stepped closer, holding his hands out in front of him as if to show that he was unarmed. "I'm not going to make fun of you, I promise. Just please, tell me what you mean."

She sighed, looking anywhere but at him. "I...I _like_ him. Like, as more than a friend."

Chat was silent for so long, Marinette began to wonder if he'd heard her. "Please say something," she said eventually, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"...You really like him that much, huh?"

She swallowed, trying to gauge his reaction without meeting his eyes. "I...Yes."

"How...how do you feel about me?"

Caught off guard, she looked up. He was wearing the same expression he'd been when they'd defeated the akuma, only directed at her. She felt her face heat up, but something about his expression made her unable or unwilling to become a stuttering mess, as she normally would. She had to take this seriously.

"Honestly, Chat, I don't know." She paused to weigh his expression, then continued, "I consider you to be a good friend of mine--more than you know--but I'm just not sure I want anything more right now."

Chat laughed, but it sounded a bit pained. "That's...that's interesting."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine, it's just...nothing."

He didn't look too terribly sad, but she felt guilty still, as if she were lying to him. "Alright," she relented, "maybe I've thought about it."

"About what?"

"You and me."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Me and you?"

She scoffed. "Oh, like _you've_ never thought about it."

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't." He smirked. "But you _definitely_ have."

"Please. _You_ kissed _me_."

She flushed at the memory. It was a night strikingly similar to this one, she realized. The only difference was that she had an umbrella.

"I bet you're reliving it," Chat said knowingly.

"I'm not--I bet _you're_ reliving it!"

"You're blushing."

"I not am--er--am not!"

It was only in Chat's silence she realized how close they'd grown. He looked so serious, it almost made her uncomfortable, but in a _really_ good way. He reached out slowly for the umbrella, and their hands brushed as she let him take it from her. In the back of her mind, Marinette distinctly remembered hearing a thunderclap, but it didn't matter, because they were kissing again, and Marinette couldn't recall for the life of her who started it this time.

Chat was wet but warm, and he smelled divine--like expensive shampoo and a hint of something else, something more familiar that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She hadn't had enough time to notice it the last time they kissed since it hadn't lasted very long, but this one was going on and on. When they finally broke apart to catch their breath, neither one of them moved away; they just stood with their bodies pressed together, practically breathing into each other's mouths.

"Marinette," Chat whispered, "I...I have something I need to tell you."

 _Right now?_ she wanted to ask, but she kept quiet.

"Marinette?"

 _SHIT!_ Marinette shoved Chat away, eyes flying to the skylight door, which Tikki had just phased through. Tikki blinked at the couple, mouthing a tiny _Oh_ and then disappearing back inside, but the damage was done. Chat looked over his shoulder at the door, then back to Marinette.

"Who...?" He trailed off, bewildered. "Who was that?"

"Wh-who was what? I hidn't dear anything--er--"

"Of course you did. You pushed me away, like you were afraid someone was coming."

"Oh, _that..._ " She laughed forcibly, scrambling to find an excuse. "That was just my little cousin," she said quickly. "She's staying with us for a few days, so you should probably go inside. _I_ probably go inside, I mean. You should just...go."

"Right, of course." He stared at her for a moment, and she was surprised at the tension between them, even after her spaz. "This umbrella," he murmured. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh..."

This was the umbrella Adrien had given her, she realized. She'd put it next to the balcony door the last time she'd been out here with Chat, maybe because she knew--or hoped--she'd be needing it again. It hadn't even occured to her it was the same one.

"A...A friend gave it to me."

Chat grinned at her with a smugness she didn't quite understand. "Just a friend, huh?" He chuckled. "Right."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Chat leaned in, and Marinette closed her eyes, savoring the proximity. He kissed her on the cheek, catching the corner of her lips with his. He pulled away, edging backward, his eyes running intensely over her body. She was surprised at the flush on his cheeks, and was even more surprised when he stumbled backward and fell over the railing.

"Chat!"

She ran to the side of the balcony, leaning over the rail to spot him. He was laying flat on the ground, but seemed relatively unharmed. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank God he was transformed,_ she thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked anyway.

"I'm good," he called up to her. "J-just, uh, a little bruised."

Even from above and in the dark, she could see his blush. He stood and brushed himself off before waving goodbye. She giggled and waved back, and her eyes never left him as he disappeared into the night.

 **Aw. ;)**


	13. 13

**Hey guys! It's been a while, but I figured I'd do y'all a solid and update this story (even though most of you are probably long gone). I don't really remember at all where I was going with this shit, and I'm too lazy to reread it, so here you go. Fresh, off-the-cuff typa shit.**

 **Sorry in advance.**

Marinette hummed a happy tune as she packed her backpack. She'd woken up early for once, much to her parents' surprise.

Two tests and a research report meant that the day would prove to be particularly trying, but Marinette couldn't bring herself to be worried. She pushed through the doors of the bakery, breaking her own record for earliness, and practically skipped all the way to Alya's house.

Alya was, if possible, even more surprised to see Marinette so early in the morning. She was already up, of course, and was making her sisters breakfast when Marinette let herself in to their apartment, greeting Otis as she passed him.

"Good morning, Alya!" she said cheerfully as she set her backpack down.

"Uh, good morning?" Alya looked Marinette over, laughing a bit. "Are you feeling okay, girl?"

Marinette feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're here, like, an hour before you usually even wake up. I mean, I'm still in my pajamas." She gestured to her clothes pointedly.

"Oh, that..." Marinette giggled. "I dunno. I guess I'm just...excited for the day!"

Alya couldn't help but smile as she spread jam on her sister's toast. "Whatever you say, girl."

Meanwhile, Adrien Agreste was experiencing something akin to a panic attack, rifling through his closet and mentally screaming as he attempted to choose his outfit for the day.

"You wear the same thing every day," Plagg whined. "Can we go eat now?"

"Why do I own so many white button-downs?" Adrien practically shrieked, ignoring Plagg entirely. "My dad is a fashion designer! My wardobe shouldn't look like this!"

Plagg groaned. "Can we just skip to the part where you realize that this is all because you frenched Marinette as Chat Noir?"

"NOT HELPING," Adrien actually shrieked.

"Whatever. Wake me up when you stop freaking out," Plagg said, and dived head-first into the trash can.

Adrien did not, in fact, stop freaking out; he did, however, manage to get to school _almost_ on time. He entered the classroom with the grace and dignity of a cat in a bathtub, striding forcefully toward his seat and managing to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room as he sat in it.

If he had known how truly ridiculous he looked, he may have forgone going to school at all. He had smartly avoided all mirrors that morning, though, so he had no way of knowing that his eyes had bags beneath them, or that there were crumbs on his chin from that morning's breakfast, or that his shirt was inside out, _or_ that his hair was ruffled in a very Chat Noir-esque fashion. He remained blissfully unaware; the rest of the class, sad to say, did not.

"What's up with Adrien?" Alya whispered to Marinette, watching as the boy in question rummaged through his backpack and pulled out every _single_ textbook but the one he actually needed for the class.

Marinette just blinked, completely at a loss. "Maybe an akuma switched his body with someone else's?"

"With who? A professional dumpster diver?"

"That's mean."

"Ooh, I know! A middle-aged man in the middle of an existential crisis!"

"That's worse!" Marinette hissed, hitting Alya lightly on the shoulder.

Alya giggled. "Relax, girl. He's probably just having a bad day. It happens to the best of us."

"Evidently," Marinette muttered.

As this conversation was being had, a similar but less-offensive one was commencing between two dear friends--both of whom were so close to the first conversation that it was a wonder, really, how they managed not to overhear it.

"Dude, are you feeling okay?" Nino asked Adrien, the subject of not only these conversations, but every single other conversation being had in the room at that moment.

"No, I'm fine, I just..." Adrien knotted his hands in his hair, groaning quietly.

"You have, uh, crumbs... _all_ over your face, dude. Also, your shirt is inside out."

Adrien swiped a hand across his face in a gesture that closely resembled a slap. "Thanks."

Nino chuckled nervously. "You do _not_ seem okay, dude."

Adrien opened his mouth to give another halfhearted reassurance that he was _fine_ , but the teacher called for attention before he had the chance. Nino would have to wait.

And he did, until after school, when, with a little bit of coaxing and a whole lot of guilt-tripping, he managed to convince Adrien to embarrass himself further by going to a cafe with Marinette and Alya. (Of course, Adrien had the sense to fix his shirt first, so at least there was that.)

Weirdly enough, Marinette was actually glad to have him around. Nino, too. She was beginning to feel like the four of them were actual friends--like, hang-out-in-a-coffee-shop friends. She was comfortable around them.

Well, usually. At the moment, Adrien was a source of discomfort for everyone at the table. He hadn't stopped moving since they sat down, yet his gaze was perfectly still, fixed on a point in the distance. Marinette was particularly disconcerted by the state of his hair, but couldn't bring herself to comment on it.

The same was not true for Alya, who immediately began her assault of questions. "So? What's up with you, girl?"

Adrien only responded after she snapped near his face. He blinked. "Oh, me?"

" _Yeah_ , you! Who else?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "The 'girl' thing kinda threw me. I'm fine, though."

"I didn't ask if you were fine. I asked what's up."

Adrien paused, his eyes flickering briefly to Marinette. "I just didn't sleep well. That's all."

"See? I told you he was fine," said Marinette, though she still looked nervous.

"No you didn't," Alya pointed out. " _You_ said an akuma switched his body with someone else's."

"I--" Marinette blushed. "Sorry, Adrien."

Adrien smiled weakly. "It's okay, Marinette. I know I'm being a little weird today."

"No..." Marinette began, but she couldn't deny that his behavior was unusual, especially for him. "Well, a little. But it's fine! I don't mind. _We_ don't mind. Right, guys?"

Nino nodded in agreement, but Alya didn't seem satisfied. Regardless, the conversation went on--but there was one among them who couldn't seem to engage, and, surprisingly, it wasn't Adrien.

Marinette watched the boy in question as he spoke with Nino and Alya about the test they'd taken earlier in the day. It was funny--with his hair all messed up and shadows under his eyes, he almost reminded her of Chat Noir.

 **I** **t's a short one, but it's better than nothing, right?**

 **Right?!**


End file.
